YuGiOh Neo
by BloodWingdAngel
Summary: AU. Yuga gets accepted into the Union Duel School in Fortune City, one of the highly ranked duel schools around. However, strange events begin occurring around the city, and it all seems to be linked to the school itself, as well as some very mysterious cards. Rated T for language
1. I'm Yuga Suzuki

**Well this is something different... yup! It's my first attempt at a YuGiOh Story that actually has a good plot! I believe I uploaded one a year ago that was meant more as a joke, but this is an actual legit story attempt.**

 **A few things to keep in mind. This takes place in an alternate universe, so cards and deck types used by other characters will be present. Also, since this borrows A LOT from Arc-V such as the Duel Pads they use for dueling and certain cards used, I have categorized this as an Arc-V story.**

 **Anything that you find wrong or think should be improved on, please leave in a review. Also keep in mind chapters are subject to being revised in terms of bad wording/bad design, so if this chapter sucks now, I might revise it and re-upload it.**

 **That being said, enjoy!**

* * *

It was a quiet day in the city, nothing too eventful going on other than the normal hustle of the city life as people moved from one location to the next on their day. A bus stop was in the middle of the city, loading up with teenagers wearing all sorts of different outfits. Only one thing was common between them all, they had a deck box somewhere on them with cards.

"All applicants for the dueling tryouts being held at Union Duel School please board now."

The teens were slowly getting on, each one talking amongst themselves about what would await them. Finally, the last teen got on and the bus doors closed, and the driver sat down and put the bus back into gear.

"WAIT!"

Another teen was running rapidly down the street, his purple hair flying wildly behind him as he sprinted, his golden eyes for nothing but the bus. His grey hoodie with a red undershirt were being wrinkled as the wind pushed into him, but it either didn't seem to slow him down or he was just moving that fast. His black shoes hit the pavement as his dark blue jeans moved rapidly, almost like a blur. The bus had just began moving when the teen jumped up and grabbed the back of the bus, holding on for dear life as it began picking up speed.

The driver gasped as he finally noticed the teen, looking back in shock. Another student got up and opened the emergency door in the back, pulling the grey hoodie boy into the bus. He hit the ground, gasping for air from his sprint down the city.

"I… made… it." He pained.

"That was reckless!" A women wearing a black top with a black skirt scolded him. "You should know better than to do something like that."

"Oh come on teach." The purple haired kid said, now combing his hair with his hands so it lay flat (though it was all spiked and messy anyway). "I only wanted to make it on time, and hey if that driver looked behind him before taking off I would've gotten on the normal way."

The women glared at him for a few seconds, but then sighed. "Name?"

"Yuga! Yuga Suzuki!"

The women nodded. "Please take your seat. Now, as you all know, you are the final group of applicants trying out for Union Duel School. You've already taken your written exam, and now all that's left is deck evaluation and an entry duel against a testing deck of our choice. Fair warning to you all, there will be no punches pulled in the entry duel."

Yuga gulped. He didn't do well on the written exam at all. Though he wasn't as worried as she should've been, after all, he did have his deck, and as long as he trusted his cards, he was bound to be okay.

As the women went on about the Union school, Yuga overheard two kids behind him.

"Did you hear the rumor about the kid who got the lowest grade in the entrance exam?" A girl's voice said from behind him.

 _Lowest grade?_ Yuga thought, listening closely.

"Yeah." Another girl replied. "Rumor has it that someone trying out from this semester's applicants got the lowest grade ever recorded in history in this exam!"

Yuga began sweating. Not from his previous sprint, but from nerves. What if that was HIM!?

"An upper classman overheard the teachers talking about it. Apparently, it's so low, the kid is probably going to be failed no matter what!"

Yuga's eyes went wide. He then turned around and put his head over the seat to see the blonde haired girl and the blue haired girl. "Excuse me? By any chance, did you hear the name of the kid?"

The blonde haired girl shook her head. "They didn't say the name of the applicant."

Yuga let out a small sigh. The blue haired girl spoke next. "Though there's a rumor that said applicant is applying today." Yuga's face fell a little.

The blonde haired girl leaned forward. "You're worried it's you?"

"No no no, not at all!" Yuga nervously replied, "It's just… I got friends here."

The blue haired girl nodded. "I hear you. We're all worried it could be us, or our friends. This school is the hardest one to get into in Fortune City after all."

Yuga nodded, before sliding back down to face forward. It could have been him, and he wouldn't even know it till he got that failing mark. His nerves were pounding on his stomach… or was it because he ran that fast?

About twenty minutes passed before the bus rounded a corner and they passed through an arch with an open gate. The top of the black arch read "Union Duel School", and was surrounded by a stone wall. Yuga looked out the window to see they were on Union Campus, building after building of stone, with courtyards where some kids were talking amongst themselves. The bus finally stopped in front of the biggest building on campus, shooting high into the air with a giant clock tower coming out of the highest point in the center.

The teens began unloading from the bus and following the women from before into the building. They walked right into the main lobby where the woman stopped and turned to them, waiting for them all to come in and quiet down before she spoke again.

"Now like I said before, you are the final group of applicants we got this year… however, there is another group that was here before you still testing. We are going to call you one at a time to take your duel exam on the dueling fields. The few remaining applicants should just be finishing up now."

She then turned and began leading them away from the lobby down some hallways. Finally, they reached a large room with bleachers surrounding nine duel fields. On five of them were duelists, each engaged in combat with a duel pad. However, one of them that caught Yuga's eye.

She was standing there firmly with a serious expression on her face, her shoulder length aqua green hair glistened a little in the light, her hazel eyes focused on her opponent. She wore a light blue hoodie with a yellow undershirt, and black pants, extending down to her light blue shoes. A yellow duel pad with a green energy blade was on her left arm. She then turned her head slightly and caught his eye, the two looking at each other in curiosity for a while as Yuga walked by.

"Applicant! Pay attention!" Her opponent shouted.

"Yes, sir!" She replied, snapping her eyes back to the duel.

Yuga pushed his way to the front of the line to the women leading them to the bleachers. "Who's that applicant with the green hair?"

The women looked back at him. "We are not to disclose personal information like that."

Yuga pouted, looking back at her. Some time passed after they reached the bleachers, the green haired girl winning her duel and leaving the area, making Yuga a little disappointed. Some more time passed, and one by one, his group started to get called onto the dueling fields. When his group was about half the size it was before, as duelists that were finished with their duels were sent somewhere to wait for their results, he heard his name get called.

Yuga stood up, pulling his blue duel pad out from his large pocket on his outer thigh, placing it onto his left arm, a black clamp attaching it to his arm. He walked onto the center most field where a young man, about 30 in age from the looks of him, was standing there with a black duel pad. He wore a red suit with the school's badge on his suit's left breast, a golden U with silver wings coming out of it.

"Yuga Suzuki, correct?" He asked, and when Yuga nodded he continued. "I am Professor Takada, and I will be testing you today."

"Hey, teach?" Yuga asked. "When do I find out if I get in and how I did on my written exam?"

Takada frowned a little. "You'll know after this duel, for afterwards I evaluate the duel progress and how you dueled against me. That is combined with your written exam grade and then we will evaluate if you got in from there."

 _Ah, great._ Yuga thought, but he needed to now focus on the duel. A red energy blade appeared on his duel pad, where a white energy blade appeared from Takada's. The two faced each other for a few seconds, drawing five cards from their decks.

"Duel!"

Yuga Suzuki: 4000 vs Professor Takada: 4000

"My move first!" Yuga declared. "I activate the spell card, Summoner's Art!" He slid the spell card into a slot on the back on his Duel Pad, the spell appearing on the screen. "With it, I can add one Level 5 or higher normal type monster from my deck to my hand! I choose Dragonpit Magician!" Suddenly, a card popped out from the middle of Yuga's deck. He grabbed it and put it into his hand instantly. "Next, I place the scale 2 Oafdragon Magician and the scale 8 Dragonpit Magician into my Pendulum Zones!"

Yuga placed the two cards on the far end of his duel disk blade. The two monsters then appeared in blue columns of light on either side of the field, hovering in the air.

 _A pendulum summoner?_ Takada thought to himself.

"This allows me to simultaneously summon monsters level 3 to 7! Pendulum Summon, come forth! Level 3, Noble Dragon Magician! (700/1400)"

A circle of light appeared between the two columns, and a beam of red light shot out of it. From it, a young magician girl appeared, couching over her card in defense mode.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." Yuga declared, placing a facedown card into the slot on his duel pad, it appearing on the screen.

"I must admit that I am a bit impressed." Takada spoke. "It isn't often we get an applicant who knows at least one of the advanced summoning methods. However, that just means I got to test you harder! My turn, I draw! I play Dark Hole!" Yuga gasped, knowing what this meant. Takada continued, "This card destroys all monsters on the field. Vanish!"

A huge storm suddenly appeared. Yuga had to cover his face with both arms to shield himself. Noble Dragon Magician screamed in pain before vanishing on Yuga's field.

"Pendulum Monsters destroyed are sent face up into the Extra Deck instead of the graveyard!" Yuga said, moving the card into a slot on the left side of the pad."

Takada smirked knowingly. "I am aware of the Pendulum Monster rule, no need to tell me young one. Now, I summon Dragunity Militum (1700/1200) in attack mode!" A humanoid warrior with wings shot out from the ground on Takada's side of the field, holding a silver sword. "Battle! I attack you directly with Dragunity Militum!"

The warrior bird hybrid charged forward and slashed at Yuga with his sword. Yuga cried out as he took the 1700 attack and fell onto one knee, getting up as his grit his teeth together (Yuga: 4000 - 2300).

"I place two cards facedown. Turn end." Takada said, frowning. "Applicant, you need to do better than that to beat me."

Yuga glared a little. "My name is Yuga! Yuga Suzuki! I am going to be the greatest duelist known!"

Takada smirked. "With that dueling you display so far, and your deck's lack of balance, you have far from being a duelist." He then narrowed his eyes and frowned. "So far, I am not impressed enough. If I am able to do this much damage to you this early, how do you hope to impress me?"

Yuga smirked. "You just wait! My turn, I draw!" Yuga drew his card, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, _It's here!_ Yuga thought. "Using the already set Pendulum Cards, I conduct a Pendulum Summon! Come forth, from the Extra Deck, Noble Dragon Magician (700/1400), and from my hand, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! (2500/2000) Both in attack mode!"

Noble Dragon Magician appeared once again, but this time she was joined. The dragon that emerged was covered in red scales, with a whitish armor like material covering its belly with a blue orb in the middle. Two large spikes shot out from it to its back, the left one with a red orb and the right one with a green orb. The dragon also had two horns shooting out of its head with a blue orb on the forehead. His right eye was red and his left eye was green.

"Pendulum… Dragon!?" Takada muttered to himself in shock, shaking his head. "I activate my set card, Book of Moon! I now choose a monster on your side of the field and flip it to facedown defense position. I choose Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Yuga growled a little as he moved Odd-Eyes card on his duel pad's energy blade. Odd-Eyes vanished and instead was replaced with the image of a facedown sideways card.

"I end my turn." Yuga hissed, anger clear in his voice.

"I admit, I am impressed you got such a rare and powerful card in your deck, but do you know how to use it?" Takada asked, offending Yuga. "My turn! I activate Cards of Consonance! By sending one dragon type tuner in my hand with 1000 or less attack points, I can draw two cards. I send Dragunity Brandistock to the grave, and draw two cards. Next, I activate Dragon Mastery! Every monster I control that is equipped with a Dragunity monster gains 500 attack points!"

Yuga was shocked, "What? You can equip monsters to other monsters?"

Takada nodded, "That is one of this deck's many powers. Farther more, once per turn, I can select one face up monster I control and equip it with a Dragunity monster from my hand. I choose Dragunity Militum, and equip my second Dragunity Brandistock from my hand to him!"

Takada slid the monster into the spell and trap slot. Sure enough, an image of the card joined the one of Dragon Mastery, and Dragunity Militum gained power.

"When Dragunity Brandistock is equipped onto a monster, that monster can attack twice in one battle phase. Farther more, since Dragunity Militum is now equipped with a Dragunity monster, its attack is increased by 500 due to the power of Dragon Mastery! (Dragunity Militum: 1700/1200 - 2200/1200) Battle! You were foolish to summon your mage in attack mode, for now she is attacked by my powerful warrior!"

Dragunity Militum flew over and slashed Noble Dragon Magician, destroying her and damaging Yuga's life points, who was gritting his teeth and shielding himself from the shock waves (Yuga: 2300 - 800).

"Farther more, since Dragunity Militum can attack twice, I have him attack your face down Odd-Eyes!" The warrior flew over again, slashing the face down Odd-Eyes, splitting the hard in half and destroying the card image.

"Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck when destroyed in battle." Yuga muttered.

"I end my turn." Takada said. "Now, how are you going to come back from this one, Yuga?"

Yuga grit his teeth again. "I'll find a way to win! I don't give up, no matter what the odds maybe! A duel isn't over till the last card is played!"

Takada smirked, "Then prove it to me! Show me how you will win from this situation!"

Yuga nodded. "My turn, draw! This time, it was you who was foolish and left your monster in attack position! Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck, so I can just resummon them! Come forth, from the extra deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in attack mode, Noble Dragon Magician in defense mode, and now joining them from my hand, Timegazer Magician (1200/600) in defense mode!"

Takada smiled a little. "Excellent, seems like you learned not to leave your weaker monsters in attack mode."

"Battle!" Yuga shouted, "I attack your powered up Dragunity Militum with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Farther more, thanks to his effect, when Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon battles a monster, any damage my opponent receives is doubled! Go, destroy his Dragunity Militum!" Odd-Eyes roared and sent out a red blast of light at the winged warrior, destroying it instantly. (Takada: 4000 - 3400)

"I activate Call of the Haunted! I can revive a monster from my graveyard in attack mode! Come forth, Dragunity Brandistock! (600/400)"

Yuga narrowed his eyes. _He knew he could do that without that monster being destroyed since my other two monsters are in defense mode._ "I end my turn."

Takada nodded. "Not bad… but now, my turn!" He drew his card. "I summon Dragunity Dux (1500/1000) from my hand!" Another winged humanoid warrior appeared. "Dux gains 200 attack points for every Dragunity monster I control, and since I got two on my field right now, he gains 400 attack points! (Dragunity Dux: 1500/1000 - 1900/1000) Next, I activate his other effect. When he is normal summoned to my side of the field, I can target one level 3 or lower Dragunity monster in my graveyard and equip it to him! Come, Dragunity Brandistock! And since another Dragunity monster is on my field, he gains 200 attack. But that's not all, thanks to Dragon Mastery, he gains 500 attack points because he is equipped with a Dragunity monster! (Dragunity Dux: 1900/1000 - 2100/1000 - 2600/1000)"

Yuga gasped. "He even gains attack when a Dragunity monster is in the spell zone!"

"Battle!" Takada shouted. "Dragunity Dux, attack Odd-Eyes!" The monster ran forward and slashed Odd-Eyes, destroying it. (Yuga: 800 - 700) "I'm not done, he gets a second attack thanks to Dragunity Brandistock! Attack Timegazer Magician!" All of Yuga's monsters were destroyed instantly except for Noble Dragon Magician. "I end my turn here. Now, be wise here. I have still left my Dragunity Brandistock on the field in attack mode. What is your next move? I am aware you can resummon your monsters, yes, but what is your plan to get out of this mess?"

 _He's got me down to 700 life points._ Yuga thought, _All I can do now is stall for time, till I can think of a way to win!_ "My turn, draw! I Pendulum Summon, from the extra deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Timegazer Magician, and from my hand, Wisdom-Eye Magician (1500/1500) in Defense Mode! I'll end my turn there."

Takada narrowed his eyes. "Foolish…"

Yuga was stunned, "Why was it foolish? You would've destroyed my monsters then?"

Takada shook his head, "You're forgetting something. My Dux gains attack points for every Dragunity Monster on my field. If you destroyed Dragunity Brandistock, you would've lowered his attack points, allowing Odd-Eyes to destroy him."

Yuga gasped. How could he be so stupid? He wasn't thinking right due to the pressure he was under currently.

"But it is too late to do that now! And sadly, now that you made that mistake I must enact punishment! I draw!" Takada drew his card, and smiled at it. "I activate the field spell, Dragon's Ravine! Using its effect, by discarding one card I can add a monster from my deck to my hand with Dragunity in the name, as long as it is level 4 or lower. I add the level 3 Dragunity Legionnaire (1200/800) to my hand by discarding a card, and then summon him to the fiend in attack mode! Next, I tune Dragunity Brandistock to Dragunity Dux and Dragunity Legionnaire!"

Yuga gasped again, "Dragunity Brandistock is a tuner?"

Takada closed his eyes as Dragunity Brandistock turned into a ring of green energy. Dux and Legionnaire flew up and became seven orbs of light. "Dragon of the ravine, light your light shine across this land and bring hope! Synchro Summon! Come forth, level 8, Dragunity Knight Barcha! (2000/1200)"

A green dragon emerged from the light, roaring loudly and sending shockwaves around the area. Yuga growled, "Just perfect… I didn't know testers were allowed to Synchro… let alone have decks this powerful…"

"Normally, a test deck wouldn't Synchro, but like I said before, you made a mistake in not attacking before, therefore you should be punished. Barcha's effect now activates! When he is successfully summoned, I can choose a Dragunity monster from my graveyard and equip him with it. I choose Dragunity Brandistock, granting him two attacks. Farther more, his attack points increase by 300 for every Dragunity monster equipped to him. On top of that, my Dragon Mastery magic card is still in effect, granting him 500 additional attack. (Dragunity Knight Barcha: 2000/1200 - 2800/1200) Battle! Dragunity Knight Barcha, attack Odd-Eyes and Wisdom-Eye Magician!"

The green dragon sent out a green ball of light, then another. The two balls raced across the fiend, slamming into the defense position Odd-Eyes and Wisdom-Eye. Yuga felt the shock waves again, this time they lifted him off his feet a little and he went flying back, landing on his rear end a few feet away.

"Turn end. Regret not calming down long enough to think?" Takada asked. "Dragunity Knight Barcha is now on my field, and you could've prevented him from coming with one simple calculation. Now… you're facing a high leveled 2800 attack point monster. Think, how can you destroy him and take me out?"

Yuga glared. _I know something in my deck can help me, but the issue is drawing the right card._

"My turn!" Yuga said, "I draw! I then Pendulum Summon back the monsters you destroyed, and a second Noble Dragon Magician that I drew. I end my turn there."

"Is that all!?" Takada shouted, drawing another card, "My turn!" He then looked at the field for a few moments, before sighing, "I end my turn." When Yuga looked at him in shock, he explained, "It is pointless to attack your monsters now. You will just Pendulum Summon them back to the field. Until I got the strength to destroy them all, I will bide my time."

"My turn!" Yuga said, drawing, "I pass…"

Takada frowned, "You sound discouraged. Just because a duel isn't going your way doesn't mean it will stay that way. You need to press forth and strive for victory, even in the face of total defeat. You must remain strong, and let your inner dueling fire burn!" Yuga didn't seem to happy still, so Takada growled, "Fine, if you won't show me your inner fire, I will draw it out myself! I draw! Even though I said I wouldn't attack your monsters, to relight your inner fire, I'll make you watch my dragon destroy your precious monsters till you get your fire back! Dragunity Knight Barcha, destroy both Noble Dragon and Timegazer Magicians!"

Dragunity Knight Barcha once again shot two energy blasts down the field, destroying the two magicians in question. Another great shockwave occurred, but the time Yuga stood strong and wasn't blown back.

"I end my turn." Takada declared, "Now, let your inner fire burn!"

Yuga sighed, _He's right… I have to draw the right card, and I am sure I will do it. I just need to believe._ "My turn then… I draw!" Yuga drew, then looked at his card, smiling as he saw it. "I activate my second Summoner's Art! This card allows me to take one level 5 or higher monster from my deck and add it to my hand, as long as it is a normal type monster! I choose Metaphize Armed Dragon! Next, I switch all my monsters to attack mode!"

Takada was stunned. "What? Why?"

Yuga smirked. "Because, I now can defeat you! I Pendulum Summon the Timegazer Magician from my extra deck, and from my hand, Metaphize Armed Dragon! (2800/1000)"

Takada flinched. "He has a 2800 attack point monster!?"

"This is the end!" Yuga shouted. "I attack Dragunity Knight Barcha with Metaphize Armed Dragon! Because both dragons have 2800 attack points, they will destroy each other!"

A jet of white light shot out of Yuga's dragon, while the green energy shot out of Dragunity Knight Barcha. They met in midair and exploded, with both dragons vanishing once the collision was finished.

Takada smiled. _He's destroyed my monster. More than that, I am defenseless. I didn't get my Negate Attack down on the field in over confidence… I didn't think he could destroy Dragunity Knight Barcha that quickly._

"Now, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, direct attack (Takada: 3400 - 900)! Wisdom-Eye Magician, direct attack and end this duel (Takada: 900 - 0)!"

Winner: Yuga

Takada smiled and approached Yuga. "Very good, I will say that I am impressed with how that duel went. Now, if you will follow me to my office."

Yuga nodded, his mind racing. He won! He achieved victory in the duel! But was it enough to get him into the school, even if he failed the written part of the exam? Takada did have some criticism of his dueling during the exam, so could it be he achieved victory, but didn't impress his teacher?

After what seemed like hours of walking, Yuga found himself in Takada's office, sitting across from the teacher as he filled out a form. Occasionally, Takada would glance at his computer, read something form it, and write some more. Other times he would look through Yuga's deck, then write. Finally, he put his pen down, and looked at Yuga.

"Yuga… you didn't pass the written exam." Upon seeing Yuga's fallen face, Takada smiled. "No, you didn't do the worst of the entire school's history and automatically fail as a result. I know that is a rumor going around right now that is freaking the students out. You did very well in our duel, one of the best in school history, given your deck's lack of extra deck… you passed and are admitted into the school, congratulations!"

Yuga couldn't believe his ears. "I passed?"

Tadaka nodded, "Therefore, I present you with our school's badge! It doubles as your ID, so just allow me to upload your student information to the chip in it and…"

"I PASSED!" Yuga screamed happily, jumping around the office. Tadaka was stunned, but then smiled. _Your dueling is what won me over, Yuga. I know you'll make a great duelist someday._


	2. Welcome to Union Duel School

**Holy cow, I got so many more reviews on the first chapter then I was expecting, because I wasn't expecting any! Thank you guys so much for the support on the story! I hope this chapter is just as good as the last one. It was a little awkward writing it, but only because I wasn't sure how to begin the chapter.**

 **Now to respond to reviews!**

 **Erik Dokuryuu Cobra: Thanks for the review! I've got a plan for those cards but that's for another chapter.**

 **Martyn (Guest): Well you got ONE of those right... I'll let you see which one when that time comes.**

 **Light (Guest): Mmmaaaaayyyyyyybbbbbeeeeeee :P**

 **Guest (Guest, yeah he didn't specify a name): Thank you!**

 **Valrik (Guest): I may have had that plan, I may have not. I will never reveal my secrets... until it shows up in the story that is.**

 **Please leave reviews, even if it is come suggestive criticism! I am always looking to improve the story and the characters in it, as well as how I write the duels. I have to say that is the hardest part so far, and defiantly takes up the most time. I wrote an upcoming duel already, and it took about an hour and a half just to write out the rough script, excluding character dialogue (including like explaining card effects). Not that you should take pity on me, that duel gets intense and long!**

 **Did that fire you up to read that chapter?**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

One week later, Yuga was standing on the same duel fields all the Union applicants were tested on, a Union school badge pinned on the front of his hoodie. He was standing with several other first year students, all wearing their new badges and facing the same direction, each holding his or her luggage, waiting for the teachers to finish announcing the rules.

"And finally, students are not to partake in duels on campus past 10 pm with their duel pads. This is because quiet hour takes effect then. Now that we are done explaining the rules, we shall go over room assignments. While you are here, you will be staying in the dorm building, which will have its own set of rules. You will have a roommate, or two if you are placed in one of the few larger rooms. We will go over the rules for the dorm later, but for now when we call you, you will come up here with your roommate and get your dorm keys."

Yuga yawned sleepily, holding onto his red gym bag filled with his stuff. Listening to Takada go on about rules was a bit dull. He watched as student after student was called up and told their rooms and received their keys. Since there was four other teachers with Takada, it was going pretty quickly.

"Yuga Suzuki and Shin Kenyo." Professor Takada called.

Yuga stepped up to him, soon to be joined by a guy about a head and a half shorter then him. The boy had on a red hoodie with blue jeans, a white undershirt and was carrying a blue bag. His dark blue hair was covering his green eyes, as he was mostly looking down. When he held out his hand to receive his key, Yuga could see his hand was shaking a little.

"You boys are in room B-208." Takada explained. "I take it you paid attention on the tour and know where the dorm building is?"

Yuga nodded. "Yes Professor."

So they ventured off to go to their room. Yuga noticed that Shin still hadn't really looked up, and was staring at Yuga's feet as he followed behind his new roommate. Yuga decided not to press Shin, and he would talk when he felt comfortable. As they walked, Yuga noticed that several upper classman students were already here, talking amongst themselves as they went to their assigned rooms. Finally, Yuga and Shin approached the big dorm building. It was, unlike most of the other buildings, made of red brick instead of white stone, six stories tall in height.

"Girls are on the left side of the building and boys are on the right." Shin suddenly muttered, as they entered the building's lobby and turning to the right door. "Any boy caught on the girl's side is subject to punishment."

Yuga nodded. "B for 'Boy', make it easier on us, huh?"

They continued in silence up the stairs past the 100 rooms, reaching floor 2 and reaching a door with 'B-208' tacked onto it. Yuga put the key into the lock and turned it, opening the room to reveal a hardwood floor, tan walls, with two beds facing the door on either side of the room, two desks between the beds for working, and two closets, one on the left side and one on the right.

"Which side do you want?" Yuga asked, figuring he'd be nice.

"Oh, uh…" Shin thought for a minute. "In the room me and my brother shared, I would usually take the left side of the room."

Yuga smiled at him. "Make yourself at home." He threw his gym back onto the right bed, walking over and opening it to start unpacking. "It's so exciting to finally be here, isn't it?"

Shin shrugged. "I guess so. Kinda hard to be excited when I was pretty much forced to come here."

Yuga looked over his shoulder at Shin. "You didn't wanna come here on your own?"

Shin looked down at his bag. "Well, not really. I mean I like duel monsters and all that, been into it since my brother helped me build a deck, but attending a school like this? I love dueling, but I am not cut out to be here. My parents don't think that, and pretty much forced me to come here and at least try out. They were thrilled when I got in… somehow. You know how parents can be."

Yuga shook his head. "Actually I don't. I'm an orphan, so…" Yuga turned to Shin, and immediately saw his regretful face. Not wanting Shin to feel bad for bringing it up, Yuga smiled a little too largely and shifted topics. "So your brother helped you build your deck?"

Shin nodded, seeming relieved at the topic shift. "Yeah, my brother loves machine type monsters. He helped me build a deck of his duplicate cards. I mean they are powerful, and he taught me some of the dueling I need to use the deck, but I feel like I am not a good enough duelist to use such an advanced deck."

Yuga smiled. "Well, we are at school to learn how to use our cards, right?"

Shin nodded. "True, but I barely got into this school. I know for sure I failed the written exam, and I barely survived in the duel I had to get in. I don't even know how I managed to make it into the school."

"But you got in, so that counts for something right?" Shin didn't reply, and that's when Yuga got an idea. "Hey, let's duel!"

Shin looked up, surprised. "What, what? Right now?"

Yuga nodded. "Yeah! There's an outside courtyard in the back of the dorms! I'm sure no other students are going to be out right now since everyone is unpacking. We got all day to unload, so let's do a quick practice duel! Trust me, you need this!"

Shin shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I uh…"

XxXxXxX

"Are you sure this is what I need?" Shin muttered, nervously facing Yuga in the courtyard behind the dorms, his silver colored duel pad mounted on his left arm.

"Of course I am!" Yuga replied, smiling. "You just need a confidence booster, and as your roommate, I am obliged to duel you so you can gain some confidence."

"Gee, thanks." Shin sarcastically muttered, activating his duel disk. An electric blue energy blade shot out of it, and Shin drew his five cards. Yuga smiled, activating his blue duel pads red blade and drawing five cards.

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Shin: 4000

"You can go first." Yuga told his roommate.

"Okay." Shin nervously said.

"Just remember, this is only a practice duel. It doesn't matter who wins or loses. But even though that's the case, I won't hold back. In a duel, you need to show your best, and I expect you to show me your best to!"

Shin nodded. "I'll try… My turn. I summon my Red Gadget (1300/1500) from my hand." A red monster shaped like a gear appeared on the field, complete with arms and legs. "When he is summoned. I can activate his special ability. He allows me to move a Yellow Gadget from my deck to my hand."

Yuga smiled. "That's awesome!"

"I'll end my turn there." Shin said.

Yuga blinked surprised. "Huh? That's all?"

Shin frowned. "Yeah…"

Yuga blinked again. "Well alright, my turn! I draw! I set the Pendulum Scale using the scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician, and the scale 4 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" The two monsters appeared on either side of Yuga in a blue column of light, flying up into the air. "This allows me to summon monsters at the same time from level 2 to 3! Pendulum Summon, come forth, level 3 Noble Dragon Magician (700/1400), defense mode! Next, I activate the field spell card, Sky Iris! This prevents any monsters in my pendulum zone with either Odd-Eyes or Magician in their name from getting destroyed by my opponent's card effects." Despite being a field spell, the field didn't change at all other than the blue columns of the pendulum monsters looking more defined. "I end my turn by placing one card facedown! Before that, I activate Odd-Eyes's Pendulum effect. By destroying him and placing him face up in the Extra Deck, I can add one Pendulum Monster with 1500 attack points or less from my desk to my hand, and I choose Dragonpit Magician."

Shin sighed. "I guess it's my turn again."

Yuga gave his new roommate a smile. "Don't stress it too much. You got this one." Shin looked away, so Yuga continued to encourage him. "Hey, you got into this school, that's an amazing feat."

Shin looked up at his friend. "But it's like I said before, I barely passed the duel, and I am sure I was the student who got the lowest grade on the written exam."

Yuga shook his head. "This isn't about the grade, and besides that's just a scare rumor. You are here because you are a great duelist deep down, and Takada noticed that. Now come on!"

That seemed to work, as Shin nodded and gave a small smile. "Thanks Yuga." His face then became rather serious. "Alright, my turn! I draw! I summon Yellow Gadget (1200/1200) to the field in attack mode, and with his special ability, I can add a Green Gadget from my desk to my hand. Next, I overlay my level 4 Red Gadget and my level 4 Yellow Gadget!" Shin closed his eyes as the two monsters flew into the black hole looking vortex that appeared on the field. "Gear soldier of the earth, appear on this battle field and lend me your power. Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Gear Gigant X! (2300/1500)" The monster appeared from the vortex. He looked like a solider in blue armor with a silver gear on his back, and green armor on his legs.

"Whoa, that's so cool, Shin!" Yuga said in awe. "I didn't know you knew how to Xyz Summon!"

Shin nodded, though no smile was present. "Yeah, my brother taught me when he gave me the cards to make my deck… Anyway, battle! I attack Noble Dragon Magician with Gear Gigant X!"

The metallic machine flew forward and punched right through Noble Dragon Magician, destroying her instantly. Yuga felt the shockwaves, but didn't flinch too much. "Destroyed Pendulum Monsters go on the extra deck face up!"

"I place two cards face down and end my turn." Shin said, sighing in relief. "I did it!"

Yuga smiled. "I'm glad, you seem more confident now."

Shin nodded. "I only ever Xyz Summoned three times till now. I was able to pull it off and another summon in front of Takada though, that's probably what got me in. He tested me like he tested you…"

Yuga was surprised. "Wait… another summon? Which one? Synchro?"

Shin seemed to ignore this. "Anyway, your turn."

Yuga smiled and drew his card. "Alright, my move! I put the scale 8 Dragonpit Magician into the Pendulum Zone, and using the scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician with him, I Pendulum Summon! Come forth from the extra deck, level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500/2000) in attack mode, and level 3 Noble Dragon Magician in attack mode!"

Shin groaned, staring down Yuga's monsters. "I knew he would make this quick of a comeback…"

"Battle phase! I attack Gear Gigant X with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and thanks to Odd-Eyes' effect, the damage is doubled! (Shin: 4000 - 3600) Next, I attack you directly with Noble Dragon Magician! (Shin: 3600 - 2900) With that, I'll end my turn."

Shin sighed, standing back up from being knocked down. "Can't we just call it your victory here? I mean, it's obvious I am going to lose."

Yuga sighed and shook his head. "That's what I am talking about though. You need to work on your confidence. You made an amazing play earlier and I am sure you're going to make another one."

Shin sighed and drew his card. "Alight then… my move. I set one monster in defense mode and place one card facedown. I end my turn with that."

Yuga nodded. "Not bad, but it's my move now! I draw! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack his set monster!" The set monster was Proto-Cyber Dragon (1100/600), and was instantly destroyed. "Next, Noble Dragon Magician attacks you directly! (Shin: 2900 - 2200) I end my turn."

Shin stared down at his duel pad for a second. He felt that he couldn't win, but there was no use arguing with Yuga, who wasn't going to let him quit till he was down to 0. "My turn. I place a card in defense, and end my turn."

Yuga sighed. "I felt the same way you do now in my duel with Takada. Hopeless, feeling like I wasn't going to win, but you need to forget those feelings of doubt and just keep dueling. After all, you don't know if you are really going to win till you play your last card."

Shin sighed. "I know, but it just seems so hopeless. I'm not a good duelist, never have been, never will be."

Yuga thought back to Takada in their duel. "Well then, if you won't cheer up with my words, then I'll let the cards speak for me! My turn! Odd-Eyes, attack his set monster!" The monster was Green Gadget (1400/600), and was destroyed. "Noble Dragon Magician, direct attack now! (Shin: 2200 - 1500) I end my turn."

Shin slowly drew his next card. "My turn." He looked at his hand for a few seconds, but then something lit up in his eyes, and when he spoke next, he was more confident. "Alright, because I got no monsters on my field, and you got some, I can special summon the level 5 Cyber Dragon! (2100/1600) Next, I activate the card I just drew! The spell card, Power Bond!"

Yuga was stunned. "Power Bond!?"

Shin smirked. "That's right. With this, I can fuse the Cyber Dragon on my field with that one in my hand!"

Another Cyber Dragon joined the one on the field, and they began swirling together into a red and blue vortex. "Two machine dragons, merge together into a new ferocious machine! Fusion Summon! Level 8, Cyber Twin Dragon! (2800/2100) But that's not all, because thanks to Power Bond, his attack points are doubled, at the price of me taking his original attack points as effect damage at the end of my turn! (2800/2100 - 5600/2100)

Yuga looked up at the twin headed machine dragon in shock. _So this is how he beat Takada…_

Shin smirk only got bigger. "And thanks to his special ability, he gets to attack twice in one turn! So not only will he wipe out your Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, dealing you 3,100 points of damage, but he'll also wipe out your Noble Dragon Magician too, winning me the duel. Now, Cyber Twin Dragon, attack-"

Yuga held out his hand. "Slow down, there! I activate a trap!"

Shin gasped. "No."

Yuga's card lifted itself from the field facedown. "Mirror Force! This activates whenever a monster on your side of the field declares an attack! Your attack is negated and every monster on your side of the field that is face up in attack mode is destroyed!" ( **A/N: This used to be Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare, but I have confirmed that it wouldn't work in this situation, therefore I changed it.)**

Cyber Twin Dragon roared in pain before exploding, sending shockwaves everywhere. Shin looked down and fell to his knees. "I… I end my turn." _And just when I thought I had won…_

Yuga saw Shin was depressed. "Hey, it was an amazing move. I didn't know you could fusion summon as well. Just… the execution needed some improvement that's all. My move. I attack directly with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! (Shin: 1500 - 0)"

Yuga Wins

Shin sighed. "I knew that would happen… I told you before Yuga, I'm not a good duelist."

Yuga walked over to Shin and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't have that attitude after drawing that Power Bond card. You can't just be confident when you got the powerful cards you need. You need to be confident no matter what you pull. But you did an amazing job during our duel, you just need to work on that confidence and knowing when to play which card when."

Shin nodded sadly. "Thanks Yuga."

Yuga smiled at him. "Let's go unpack! Classes begin tomorrow after all."

XxXxXxX

Professor Takada was sitting in his office, typing on his computer as the sun set behind him. Occasionally, the professor would take a sip out of the mug on his deck before typing more. Eventually, a knock was heard on the door to the office.

"Come in." Takada said.

The door opened, revealing a shorter man wearing a colored blue shirt and tan dress pants. His hair was spiked a little, greying a little, making it look like he had grey stripes in his hair. He walked into the room before speaking in a low voice. "Please excuse my intrusion, sir."

"Not at all, Mr. Himura." Takada said, looking up from his computer at the man. "What can I do for you?"

"I was going over the applications accepted into the school this year." Himura reported. "I am finding it astonishing what I am seeing. So many of our incoming freshman already know some advanced forms of summoning. We have tons who know Xyz and Synchro Summoning already, and even a few Fusion Summoners here and there. Makes my Advanced Summoning Methods class seem pointless, huh?"

Takada shook his head. "Not at all. All the students will benefit greatly from your class. After all, while they could know Xyz Summoning, they might not know Fusion or Synchro."

Himura nodded. "Still, this is the most talented group of students we've ever had at this school. Especially that Yuga Suzuki kid. To be able to do what he does with Pendulum Summoning without any formal teaching."

Takada nodded. "He is a talented one, the potential to be the best in the school if he learns how to tie Pendulum into other summoning methods." He paused for a bit. "He's in your afternoon class. I need you to watch him, Ruka Nagai and Roku Nagai."

Himura paused. "I can understand Yuga, but why the other two?"

"The Nagai twins displayed dueling strategy that currently puts them at the top of their class." Takada explained.

"Against test decks, that isn't saying much." Himura replied.

"It's more of their application of their decks then their performance against the testing decks." Takada noted. "These three could represent this school, even if they are only freshman."

"You think they have that much potential, sir?"

Takada remained quiet, turning his chair and standing up to look at the sun setting out the window. "I don't think… I know they have that much potential."

Himura nodded. "Okay, sir. Excuse me while I take my leave."

Takada heard the footsteps of Himura before he walked out and shut the door behind him. Takada continued looking at the sun for a while before turning back to his computer and going to work once again.

 _Yuga Suzuki…_

* * *

 **"Who are the Roku and Ruka Nagai? How will Yuga fair against them? Find out next time, on YuGiOh Neo!"**

 **Yes, I did just DragonBall Z Narrator this one.**


	3. The First Day of Class

**Chapter 3! And sorry to say you guys, this is going to be a chapter with NO DUELING!**

 **-audience gasps-**

 **I know. Shocker. But anyway I still like how it turned out, and we get introduced to more characters. Anyway, we got one review on Chapter 2, so let's give that reviewer credit. Thank you EveryDayDueling for the review! I would reply on here like I did the others, but I actually PMed a reply so I don't need to reply twice.**

 **Enjoy Chapter 3!**

* * *

"Yuga, wake up!"

Yuga's eyes snapped open and he sat straight up in bed. Yawning slightly, he looked to his right to see a panicking Shin, in purple pajamas, nervously looking at him.

"Good morning, Shin." Yuga said sleepily. "Where's the pretty princess? She said she had a reward for me."

Shin looked at his roommate like he was on crack. "Huh? Yuga, are you still dreaming?"

Yuga rubbed his eyes and began waking up more. "Yeah." He sleepily muttered. He was having a dream, and in it he was for some reason not a student at an academy for dueling, but a sword wielding hero, fighting his Odd-Eyes of all things. After his battle was over, he rescued the princess, which took the form of the aqua green haired girl he saw on his tryout day. Yuga's face hardened a little as he began thinking. Ever since he saw her, he seemed to be finding himself thinking about her randomly. Where was she now? Did she get into the school? And if so, would he see her today?

But the question he wanted answered most is why he kept thinking about her so much.

"Yuga!" Shin whined, snapping him out of his thinking. "I woke you up because we only got fifteen minutes to get to class! We forgot to set an alarm!"

Yuga stared at Shin for a minute, then screamed. "Holy crap, let's move!" He jumped out of bed, throwing off his red shirt and grey pants he used for pajamas, reaching for his usual clothes instead.

"What about a shower?" Shin asked, before Yuga could put on his clothes.

"Good point, buddy! Let's move!" Yuga said, changing his reach to grab his towel and shower bag.

"You seriously aren't going to run out into the hallway in your boxers, are you?" **(A/N: The dorms have a common bathroom area with separate stalls.)**

"We're on the boy's side everyone is probably already out of here and off to class who cares WE GOTTA MOVE!"

After a five minute shower, and another five minutes of drying off and getting dressed, Yuga and Shin were in their regular clothes, racing as fast as they could across campus. Yuga was frantically mumbling to himself, trying to remember which room in the main building their 'Dueling History' class was in. Shin, meanwhile, was struggling to keep up, painting for breath.

"Tomorrow… we set an alarm." Shin wheezed.

The two boys raced into the main building as a chime sounded from the school's clock tower. Yuga's face grew panicked. "Ah crap, we're late!"

About a minute later, Yuga threw open the door to a large classroom, with twenty large tables facing the chalkboard, each one elevated over the next with stairs **(A/N: Think the classroom from YuGiOh GX)**. Yuga didn't pay attention as 100 or so student heads turned and locked eyes onto him and Shin standing in the doorway, gasping for air. All he had eyes for was Professor Takada, who was standing in the front of the class holding a piece of chalk.

"Since this is the first day," Takada said, a smile forming on his face. "I won't give you two detention for being late, but please remember to set an alarm tomorrow morning, boys."

"Yes, Professor Takada." Yuga and Shin wheezed, a few students chuckling in response as they turned back to the front of the classroom. Since they didn't have anywhere else to sit, they took the two vacant seats in the back table.

"Now as I was saying… dueling is thought to have originations in ancient Egypt, where…"

Yuga finally caught his breath, his heartbeat calming back down to normal levels. He looked at the board, where Professor Takada had drawn some pyramids on the board, and began drawing other figures, but by now Yuga had drowned him out, his mind suddenly back on the aqua green haired girl, and the dream he had…

He was a noble knight… or was he more like a badass rogue? Either way, he was awesome and totally slayed the evil Odd-Eyes! Wait, having his own monster as the villain wasn't cool. No, he was RIDING Odd-Eyes into battle, with… Exodia! Yeah, Exodia was the bad monster and he had to defeat him and…

"Yuga, wake up!"

Yuga's eyes snapped open. He sat up, taking his head off the desk as his vision cleared. He was alone in the room other than Shin and Professor Takada, who were both standing over him, looking down at him.

"For homework…" Professor Takada cleared his throat, glaring at Yuga like he was telling him information he should have already known. "I want you to read Chapter 1 of the book 'Dueling Origins', which you should have received in your welcome packet along with your other textbooks the day you arrived here. Be thankful I don't issue punishments on the first day, Yuga Suzuki, otherwise you'd be serving a double detention. Next time, get to bed earlier and don't over sleep."

"Yes, sir." Yuga muttered, yawning and stretching as Takada left. "Not my fault I fell asleep! Why do freshman have to take Dueling History anyway? It's a three hour class!"

Shin sighed. "If we pass this, we never have to take another class longer than one hour. Now, come on, Yuga! It's lunch next and I don't wanna be last in line!"

The mere mention of food had Yuga drooling, as he and Shin took off yet again, racing to the cafeteria. By the time they got there, they had slowed down to walking, with Yuga telling Shin why he fell asleep.

"I was trying to remember the dream I was having… well recreate it anyway. I couldn't really stop my brain from it." Yuga said, as they passed tables to get to the line. "Not my fault I drifted off."

"You shouldn't be daydreaming in the middle of class." Shin told him. "And seriously, you feel asleep a minute after we sat down."

"I seriously slept for three hours?" Yuga asked, with Shin nodding to confirm. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I tired." Shin said, frowning. "I couldn't scream at you like I did in the dorms, and that seems to be the only way to wake you."

They kept on walking but suddenly a foot stuck out from one of the tables. Yuga hit it with his shoe and began falling, trying to grab onto Shin for support, but ending up dragging the shorter teen with him. As he hit the floor, the sound of laughter rang in his ears. Yuga hissed, getting onto his hands and knees, looking to his left.

Sitting at the table with his foot clearly out to trip someone was a tall teen, wearing dark blue jeans, and a black leather jacket over a red shirt. His red hair was spiked up with gel, and his coal black eyes were looking right at Yuga and Shin in a mocking tone. "While you're down there, why don't you polish the shoe you scuffed up?" He pointed to his red sneakers, which indeed had a bit of dirt on them.

Shin whimpered, crawling back a little as the boys at the bully's table laughed. Yuga, however, got to his feet and looked down at the teen.

"He's probably still zoned out from sleeping in class." Another boy at the table said.

"Good point." The red haired teen said, standing up so he was taller then Yuga. "Alright, you don't have to polish my shoe. But it is an expensive shoe, so your rarest card should cover the damages."

Yuga glared at the teen. "I think I don't owe you anything. You're the one who stuck your shoe out. Nice hair by the way. Did your mom style it for you?"

"Yuga." Shin whined, obviously uncomfortable.

"Lay off the do!" The teen yelled. "You obviously don't know who you're dealing with! I'm Vince Koba, toughest kid in school."

"Toughest kid, huh? Could've fooled me, acting like a puss by tripping me the way you did." Yuga shot back.

Several students 'oooo'ed in awe at Yuga standing up to the bully. Vince grit his teeth, then smirked. "You little… TAKE THIS!"

Suddenly, his fist went flying. Yuga raised his arms to defend himself, but didn't have to. Suddenly, someone was behind Vince, holding him back from hitting Yuga.

"Let me go!" Vince shouted.

"Then quit your senseless fighting." The boy said. Yuga looked and saw a white haired teen holding back Vince. His blue eyes were fiercely locked onto the other teen, his white jacket wrinkled from Vince's struggling. Yuga could also make out a blue undershirt, and white pants and shoes to match the jacket.

"Roku, I said let go!" Vince screamed.

"You're the one who started it, Vince!" A voice from behind Yuga said.

Yuga turned to see who spoke, and couldn't believe his eyes. The same aqua green haired girl from tryouts was there, hands on his hips, her hazel eyes glaring daggers into the other teen.

"R-Ruka!" Vince mumbled, immediately stopping his struggle.

 _Ruka. So that's her name._ Yuga thought. Roku let Vince go, and Yuga could see the two teens were the same height. Ruka walked past Yuga, who could see she was about half a head shorter then him, and could almost swear he caught the scent of rosemary as she walked past. Ruka walked up to Vince, glaring up at him. Vince took a step back, nervously smiling at the girl.

"You tripped them and began picking on them!" Ruka shot at him. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Vince nervously laughed, which only seemed to make Ruka angrier. Her glare got so fierce that it almost seemed to make Vince shrink. Vince then got more serious, though a tint of red was present in the teens face as he shrugged. "Ah, alright. They don't have to apologize for stepping on my shoe."

Ruka looked like she was about to scream her head off at him, but then she huffed, turning away from him. She suddenly grabbed Yuga's hand, leading him away from the table. Her touch was very soft, and Yuga turned red himself from the feel of her hand on his. Roku walked past Vince, and said something which seemed to make Vince pale a bit. Roku then walked up to Shin and literally forced the teen to his feet, before following after Ruka with a guiding hand on Shin's shoulder. They caught up quickly, mostly because Roku and Shin were moving swiftly to catch up to Ruka (Yuga suspected Shin was walking very fast to get away from Vince, and Roku was only keeping up with his long legs).

"Seriously, why does every school seem to have a bully?" Yuga mumbled.

"I dunno." Shin responded, still shaking a little from the encounter with Vince. "Some people are just so mean."

"I think the stereotype is used too much in media." Yuga muttered.

"Huh?" Shin asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah some people are jerks." Yuga replied, giving his roommate a smile.

"I can't believe you stood up to him like that though." Shin whined. "You could've gotten killed!"

"Vince is a coward." Ruka spoke. "He only wanted to fight you because his gang was here, and he wanted to prove he was tough."

"His g-g-gang!?" Shin shook in fear.

"It's not really a gang." Roku said, as they reached the back of the cafeteria line, removing his hand from Shin's shoulder. "They're just a bunch of delinquents who met yesterday during move in day. They thought they were tough and safer in numbers, so they formed up a 'gang'. I don't think it will last till the end of the semester though."

Ruka nodded, letting go on Yuga's hand, turning to face him. "You're lucky me and Roku came in when we did though. If you fought back, his buddies would've jumped in and probably beat you down."

"Yeah." Yuga said, still red in the face from Ruka grabbing his hand. "Thank you."

Ruka gave him a gentle smile, which made his blush increase.

"So why didn't he pick on you or Roku?" Shin asked. "N-no offense of course."

"None taken." Ruka replied. "To be honest, I think its Roku's tough attitude. He actually was offered a spot in Vince's 'gang', but turned it down. As for me…"

Roku had the look of death in his eyes, as he shot a look back at Vince. "He's got the hots for my sister."

Ruka glared. "You don't need to put it like THAT! But yeah, he seems to be attracted to me. Even offered me a spot as his girlfriend, queen of the gang. Yeah, I'd really love to go out with some loser who picks on people to feel better about himself."

Yuga felt a twinge of jealously course through him, but even wondered why he felt it in the first place. He had just formally met her now, and the only other time he saw her was a week ago at tryouts… briefly.

"Enough about Vince." Ruka said smiling. "I'm Ruka Nagai, and that is my brother, Roku Nagai."

"I'm Yuga Suzuki." Yuga replied, and then noticing Shin was looking down and acting shy, he put his hand on his shoulder. "This is my roommate, Shin Kenyo!"

"It's nice to meet you both." Ruka replied. "Do you want to join us for lunch? My roommates should already be here, they got here earlier and grabbed a table."

Agreeing on the kind offer, and because Yuga and Shin had no one else to sit with, they decided to follow Ruka and Roku after grabbing their trays of food. They reached a rectangle table off to the corner of the cafeteria where two familiar girls sat. The blonde haired and blue haired girl from the bus a week ago seemed to recognize him as well and gave him a small smile.

"This is Yuga Suzuki and his roommate Shin Kenyo." Ruka said, introducing them. "They're going to be joining us for lunch."

"I'm Asami Ikeda." Said the blue haired girl. Yuga took his time to look at her outfit, something he ignored a week ago due to nerves. She was wearing a short leather jacket, which cut off exposing her navel, and a white shirt underneath with spaghetti straps, cut to reveal her cleavage (and her navel). She also wore leather pants and black boots. Yuga couldn't help but stereotype this girl, but shook it off as to not judge based on looks.

"I'm Naomi Fujiwara." The blonde girl said. She was wearing a long sleeved purple shirt, with a red skirt and black leggings underneath, extending to her purple shoes. Yuga gave her a smile before sitting down next to Ruka, with Shin taking a seat to his right and putting him between the two. Asami and Naomi were across from them, with Roku taking his seat next to Naomi, who was in-between him and Asami now.

"I see you got in." Asami said. When the others gave her a confused look, she winked. "We were on the same bus to tryouts. We didn't get to talk much though."

"We were all so nervous that day." Naomi replied. "I'm surprised you and I talked so much, let alone ended up being roommates later."

"How did you two do on the duels?" Yuga asked.

Asami smirked. "Had him on the ropes the whole time! My tester wasn't Takada though, he tested the fiercest of them all."

"Her tester was a guy about a year older then us who goes here." Naomi mentioned. "To be fair, you were flirting with him the whole time Asami."

"He was cute, I couldn't help it!" Asami shot back. "Not my fault he was distracted by my dashing good looks."

 _That outfit didn't help either, I bet._ Yuga thought to himself.

"Ruka's prettier though." Namoi muttered.

"Hey!" Asami angrily shot, but then smiled. "Well, I can't be mad. She is right, Ruka."

"I am not." Ruka muttered, shifting in her seat a little. "And don't you dare mention Vince as a reason."

"But he doesn't even notice me." Asami whined. "Ugh, and he's so hot too, you're lucky."

"W-what?!" Yuga and Shin both were stunned, almost spitting food out of their mouths. Ruka just shook her head.

"Physically I mean." Asami quickly noted. "There's another guy that's hotter, though…" And that's when Yuga noticed her eyes casually drift over to Roku, who was too busy focusing on eating to notice.

"Anyway." Ruka said, changing the subject while giving Asami a bit of a glare. "You two were in our Dueling History class. Let's compare the rest of our schedules. They should line up since we are freshman."

"Guess you saw us embarrass ourselves." Shin muttered.

"Don't sweat it." Roku said, having finally spoke since sitting down. "It's the first day, some kids even accidentally missed a class or two today."

Ruka took out her schedule while Yuga took out his, and since Shin had all the same classes Yuga did he just looked on.

"Dueling History we knew, then lunch. Let's see… yup! Dueling Tactics with Takada, Advanced Summoning Methods, and Gym! All six of us got the same schedule!"

"Sadly, that includes Vince." Naomi muttered. Ruka paled, and Naomi sighed. "He knew we had the same schedule, and checked mine when I wasn't looking. He then boldly announced we had the same classes, then walked off humming to himself."

"Why is that a problem?" Asami dreamily said, earning glares from the entire table.

"Freshman usually all have the same schedule." Roku noted. "Which means we will be in the same classes with the 100 students we had in Dueling History."

Ruka sighed. "Great."

Yuga smiled. "Let's all sit together! That way, we'll be among friends."

Every seemed in agreement with that, especially Shin who seemed terrified to learn that Vince would be in all their classes. Even Roku gave a smile, the first Yuga had seen so far, and after a good meal and a long conversation, the six friends headed off to Dueling Tactics.

"What's this class about?" Naomi asked, looking at her schedule.

"Basically things like deck construction, cards and what they do, as well as field advantages." Ruka explained, looking at 'The Dueling 101 Handbook'.

"All things easily self-taught combined into one class." Asami noted. "If anything, this is the blow off class."

"Not necessary." Roku replied. "Deck construction is good because it teaches you how to balance your deck, and learning about a wide assortment of cards is good so you can build a deck to handle any situation thrown at you."

But Yuga felt Asami was right. During the entire hour of the class, Yuga felt as though he could drift back to sleep. All Takada talked about was basic deck building tactics. After what seemed like a century, he dismissed the students onto Advanced Summoning Methods.

"I hope THAT picks up in excitement." Yuga muttered. "I almost fell asleep again."

"Hey, why do we have four teachers for Advanced Summoning Methods?" Shin noted, looking at his schedule.

"Please don't tell me one is Takada." Yuga said. "I like the guy but I don't think I can see him three times a day."

"No." Ruka replied, looking at Shin's schedule over his shoulder. "Professor Himura, Professor Jin, Professor Toma, and Professor Hirose." Something about Hirose's name made Yuga's skin crawl.

"We are gonna find out I guess." Roku muttered, entering a classroom. They all took their seats around an area, with Shin, Yuga and Ruka in a row about Asami, Naomi and Roku. After a few minutes, a young male walked in, wearing a white colored shirt and black pants. He walked to the front of the classroom and with chalk wrote 'Himura' on the board. After a few more minutes, he noticed the clock was on the hour and cleared his throat.

"Hello, students. I am Professor Himura, and I will be your Advanced Summoning Methods teacher for the year. Now, if there are any questions, they can be asked now."

Yuga was confused. No other teacher he's had before immediately started with question time. Ruka's had was raised, and after she was called on, she spoke. "Professor, I noticed there was three other teachers on the schedule."

"Ah, yes." Himura smiled, as though knowing that was going to be asked. "You will have three other teachers other than me. My job is to give you a basic understanding of summoning methods outside the Extra Deck, such as normal, special, tribute, pendulum..." At Pendulum, Yuga perked up a little. "After that ends around October, Professor Jin will come in and teach you the basics of Xyz Summoning. Then you will have your Winter Break. When you come back, Professor Toma will be your teacher in Synchro Summoning, and finally when that ends around March, Professor Hirose will come to teach you the basics of Fusion Summoning till the end of the school year. Now, I understand that most of you have already mastered a summoning tactic I mentioned." Himura continued, smiling even bigger. "This is honestly one of the most talented group of new students we've taken in so far. While we were testing you, there was all sorts of students who already knew summons such as Xyz and Synchro. This class, however, teaches all the summoning methods. While you can Xyz Summon and will find Jin's section easy, it won't necessary guarantee you an A, because you still have Hirose's section with Fusion. If you fail that, well obviously your average will drop."

Several seconds of silence passed as Himura paused to let that sink in. Yuga gulped, knowing some of the tactics of Xyz, Synchro and Fusion, but never performing one himself.

"This year is also a bit different." Himura noted, with a smile on his face. "As at the end of the Xyz, Synchro and Fusion sections, there will be a small competition on the summoning method, where upon winning you will get a prize. I won't spoil it, not that I could as I don't even know what the prize is, but this is a new thing we are trying in this class."

Students began talking amongst themselves in excitement, but with a hand raise from Himura they quieted down. "But before we get to that, we need to begin with the basics. Anymore questions? No? Then we shall start with the very beginning basics; normal non-tribute summons."

The rest of the class was snoresville, though occasionally he'd mention a card like Forced Back and Ultimate Offering which could alter the rules of the summoning. Finally, after an hour, the class dismissed and everyone began heading to Gym.

"You'd think they'd expect us to know all that already." Yuga muttered. "We didn't need to learn that a level 4 monster doesn't need a tribute to be summoned, or that you can only summon once per turn unless using a card that specifies otherwise."

"They do it as a refresher." Roku said. "After all, to teach us the more advanced things, they need to build on the stuff we already know, even if that means reviewing it and boring us with it."

Gym with Professor Kato was nothing special. She mostly just talked how in Gym they should have brought appropriate workout clothes, and if they didn't they would need to go shopping tonight for clothes at the mall three blocks from campus. She also talked about how they would start with just normal gym stuff, like running, before diving into Action Dueling, which excited Yuga. Finally, after another hour, they were dismissed for the final time and were heading back to the dorms.

"All in all, I am still happy I came here." Yuga said happily.

"At least you feel that way." Shin muttered.

"It gets better." Naomi said. "I had a cousin who came here and she adored it!"

"And friends make it all better as well." Ruka said, smiling at Yuga who smiled back and blushed. "Hey, at the end of the week let's all have a move night! Roku's got a TV in his room and it might be a good idea for relaxing."

Everyone was in total agreement, with Roku shooting in a 'sure'. They kept on heading back, but now Yuga was thinking about something else. Why did he think about Ruka so much during the week leading up to coming here? And even now, he couldn't help but occasionally look at her, smile when she did, and blush a lot with her. Could he have a crush on her?

 _Naw._ Yuga thought to himself. _I barely know her, and besides it's not like I can develop a crush on a girl I just met. I just find her very pretty that's all._

The school year would tell for sure though, as he got the feeling he would be hanging around these guys a lot.


	4. The Smell of Rosemary

The next two days had classes pick up a little bit. Yuga made absolutely sure not to fall asleep in Dueling History, as hard as that was. History in general has always been a weak subject of Yuga's, even if it was involving dueling. Takada was a strict teacher, despite being as kind as he was, and Yuga didn't think he'd get off lightly if he fell asleep in class again. Today they were talking about ancient duel monster carvings, something this bored Yuga but he made sure to stay awake for.

Dueling Tactics wasn't much better than it was the first day though. They were still reviewing basics, and it was only next week did Takada promise to talk about deck balance and other things they really needed to learn.

Yuga found his favorite class so far to be Advanced Summoning Methods. The first day was a bore, but now they were learning about all sorts of different cards that could be summoned in other ways that it was really interesting. Today they were talking about Horus the Black Flame Dragon, and other cards in a series called 'level', as in cards that leveled up and summoned their advanced counterparts with interesting effects. It was a very interesting topic, and Yuga was even impressed that Professor Himura showed them a level deck composed of all the cards he was talking about.

"For homework." Himura said, as the bell rang. "I want you to duel a classmate." Everyone froze, looking at the teacher in shock. Usually homework wasn't involving their decks at all. "There is a catch of course." Himura noted. "I want you to write a short one page essay describing what you learned in the duel. Feel free to duel whoever you like in this class though."

"Wanna just duel each other again?" Yuga asked Shin.

Shin shook his head. "No offense, Yuga, but you're too good."

"Ah come on, you would've beaten me if you out predicted my trap card." Yuga noted.

Shin shrugged. "Sorry, but I was thinking of dueling Naomi. I thought I'd be a good chance to get to know her to."

"Someone got a crush?" Yuga teasing, dodging Shin's fist after the question. "Teasing, dude! Alright, I'll ask someone else after Gym them."

Gym had also picked up in pace. They were now doing basic exercises as well as running a mile to prove they had endurance, or in the case of Shin, to work on endurance. After Gym, Yuga changed really fast and practically sprinted out of the locker rooms, where to his surprise, Ruka was already changed back into her normal clothes and waiting for him.

"Yuga, I challenge you to a duel." Ruka declared.

Yuga blinked in surprise, but then smirked. "Awesome, guess I found my homework partner, but why me?"

"Ever since I saw you that day in the testing arena, I knew you were good." Ruka said, surprising Yuga that she remembered him from that day. "I figured that this homework assignment is no better chance to see how good you really are."

Yuga nodded. "Alright, let's do this!"

Ruka and Yuga made their way to the testing fields where they first saw each other. Some other kids were already dueling here, and Yuga could see Shin facing off against Naomi. The two gave Yuga and Ruka a small smile as they passed, before turning back to their duel at hand. The two finally made their way to one of the corner fields, where they activated their duel pads and faced off.

"Ready?" Ruka asked, drawing her five starting cards.

"Yeah." Yuga nodded, also drawing his five starting cards.

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Ruka: 4000

"Ladies first!" Ruka declared. "I activate the field spell, Aroma Garden!"

Yuga looked puzzled as they were suddenly on stone steps, surrounded by flowers. An arch was erected over them, black in color, with some vines wrapping around it.

"A garden?" Yuga asked, looking around confused. Some other students in the testing arena had looked away from their duels briefly to see what was going on before looking back to their own duels.

"Next, I summon Aromage Cananga (1400/1000) to the field in attack mode!" Ruka said, placing her card on the duel disk. On the field suddenly appeared a women wearing a brown cloak with a green scarf, blonde hair covered by a tan hat, and glasses in front of her red eyes. "Now, because I got one Aroma monster on my field, I can activate the effects of my Aroma Garden! I can gain 500 life points once per turn (Ruka: 4000 - 4500), in addition, whenever I activate this effect, all monsters I control gain 500 attack and defense points till the end of my opponent's next turn. (Aromage Cananga: 1400/1000 - 1900/1500) Additionally, since my life points are now higher than yours, Aromage Cananga's effect activates. Every monster on your side of the field that is face up losses 500 attack and 500 defense points."

Yuga was stunned. "No way!"

Ruka smirked. "This is a dangerous card when combined with my Aromages."

Yuga grit his teeth. "It's only the first turn, and I am already behind."

"I set two cards face down." Ruka said, putting two cards into her spell and trap zone. "My turn is done."

Yuga frowned. "My turn!" He drew his card, looking at it for a bit before making his move. "Using the scale 2 Oafdragon Magician, and the scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! This allows me to summon multiple level 3 to 7 monsters at the same time. I Pendulum Summon, the level 7 Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon! (2800/2000 - 2300/1500)"

This version of Odd-Eyes had shiny white armor lined with gold covering its entire red body, appearing in a flash of light with a mighty roar.

Ruka smiled. "Don't forget, your dragon losses 500 attack and defense points thanks to my Aromage Cananga."

Yuga smirked. "I am aware, but he is still stronger than your Aromage. Now, Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon, destroy Aromage Cananga!"

Before the dragon could move, Ruka tapped her Duel Pad. "Hold on! You activated my trap, Mirror Force! Every attack position monster on your side of the field is now destroyed!"

Odd-Eyes fired a beam of light at Aromage Cananga, but all of the sudden a shiny barrier erected itself on Ruka's side of the field. It shattered and the pieces went flying onto Yuga's field, cutting into Odd-Eyes and destroying it instantly.

Yuga was stunned. "Alright then, I place my own two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Ruka smiled and drew a card. "Back to me then. I summon Lonefire Blossom! (500/1400)" What looked like a red, dying flower appeared on Ruka's field in attack mode. "Now I activate the special ability of my flower."

Yuga tapped his Duel Pad now. "I activate Torrential Tribute! Whenever a monster is summoned, I can destroy all monsters on the field!"

A surge of water shot forth from the card, enveloping the entire field. When it was gone, both Aromage Cananga and Lonefire Blossom were gone with it.

Ruka growled. "Not bad, but the second effect of my Aroma Garden activates. Whenever an Aroma monster that was face up on my side of the field is destroyed, I gain 1000 life points. (Ruka: 4500 - 5500) I now activate the continuous trap, Dried Winds! Here's the deal, from now on, when I gain life points, I can target one face up monster your control and destroy it."

Yuga grit his teeth. "Just when I thought this couldn't get worse, she pulls that trap out."

Ruka smirked. "And since I can increase my life points with Aroma Garden every one of my turns, your monsters aren't safe. I'll end my turn on that note."

Yuga sighed as he looked at Ruka. "I knew she was something when I saw her before, but now that I am dueling her…. My turn!" He drew his card from his deck, looking at it and thinking for a second. "I activate Summoner's Art! I can add one level 5 or higher normal monster from my deck, and I choose Metaphize Armed Dragon! (2800/1000) Now I pendulum summon him to the field with my set Pendulum Monsters!"

Ruka's smile faded. "This won't be pleasant."

"Metaphize Armed Dragon, attack Ruka directly!" The dragon roared, soundwaves radiating off its mouth. The waves hit Ruka, as she screamed in surprise as she raised her arms to cover her face, her life points finally decreasing. (Ruka: 5500 - 2700) "Yes, in the lead! I end my turn there."

Ruka lowered her arms and drew a card. "Not for long, my turn! I summon Aromage Jasmine (100/1900) to my field in attack mode!" This Aromage looked younger than the previous one. She had light blue hair, and wore a jacket matching her hair color, with dark blue pants and brown boots. She smiled at her sapphire eyes locked onto Yuga.

Yuga was shocked. "Why attack mode? She's only got 100 attack points. My dragon will drain the rest of your life if it attacks her."

Ruka smirked. "I'm not worried about your dragon. You seem to be forgetting about my field spell! Aroma Garden, activate! I gain 500 life points. (Ruka: 2700 - 3200) Now, since I gained life points, my Dried Winds continuous trap activates! Now I can destroy one face up monster on your side of the field, and I think you know who I am aiming for!"

A huge tornado of red, dusty wind shot out of Ruka's trap card, slamming into the dragon Yuga controlled. It roared in pain before vanishing before their very eyes.

"Next, Aromage Jasmine's attack and defense are increased because I increased my life points with Aroma Garden. (Aromage Jasmine: 100/1900 - 600/2400) Plus, her effect activates. Since my life points increased, she allows me to draw one card. Now I place that card face down and end my turn."

 _Why didn't she attack?_ Yuga thought. _Could it be that monster can't attack whenever it activates her effect… or she is plotting something else?_ Yuga drew his card. "My turn! I pendulum summon Dragonpit Magician (900/2700) in attack mode! Dragonpit Magician, attack her Aromage Jasmine!" Dragonpit Magician twirled his staff and shot a wave of energy at Aromage Jasmine, destroying her instantly. (Ruka: 3200 - 2900)

"Aroma Garden's effect now activates." Ruka declared. "Because an Aroma monster was destroyed, I gain 1000 life points. (Ruka: 2900 - 3900) Farther more, because I gained life points, I can destroy one monster thanks to Dried Winds. I choose your Dragonpit Magician!" Another red wind blew from the trap, enveloping Dragonpit Magician and destroying him.

Yuga grit his teeth. "Lucky for me I planned for that. I set a monster in defense mode, ending my turn." Yuga then sighed, looking at Ruka. _This duel is really something else. Even when I destroy her monsters, she just gains life points and is able to destroy mine! I feel like I'm dueling on a treadmill that just gets faster and faster the more I push forward._

Ruka smirked. "Are you impressed with my dueling?"

Yuga, without even thinking, spoke. "Impressed? I think I'm in love…" **(A/N: Yes, I did just use a YuGiOh GX dub line. Shut up, I thought it was funny as hell)**

Both Yuga and Ruka then blushed heavily, shocked looks on both of their faces. _D-did I really just say that!?_ Yuga thought.

Ruka's face went from shock to anger, her blush increasing. "Y-you shut up! My move!" She drew her card, waving herself with it to decrease the blush in her face before playing. "I activate Tri-and-Guess! This trap card allows me to declare one type of monster that can be stored in the Extra Deck. We then compare Extra Decks, and if I have more of that monster type then you do, I gain 3000 life points!"

Yuga's eyes went wide. "No way! But… but I have no monsters in my Extra Deck other than my destroyed Pendulum Monsters!"

Ruka smirked. "Exactly, which means it doesn't matter what type I choose! I, however, am going to go with Synchro. I have nine Synchros in my Extra Deck, and you have none. Which means I get a free 3000 life points! (Ruka: 3900 - 6900)"

Yuga growled. "Now she's off the charts with those life points of hers."

"Because your monster is face down, Dried Winds cannot destroy it, but that's fine." Ruka said. "I set a monster in face down defense and end my turn."

Yuga perked up. _Face down defense? She must not have a stronger level 4 or lower monster in her hand. This might be my chance!_ "My move!" He drew his card, a Dragonpit Magician. "I Pendulum Summon a Dragonpit Magician from my hand in attack mode, and the Dragonpit Magician in my extra deck into defense mode. Now, Dragonpit Magician, attack her face down monster!"

Dragonpit Magician waved his staff again, blasting the face down monster and destroying it. Before it went, it revealed itself as Effect Veiler. (0/0) The tiny white robbed, light blue haired fairy with black stockings grit her teeth in pain before vanishing.

"I'll end my turn there." Yuga stated. _I know I could have summoned all my monsters into attack mode, but knowing Ruka's deck so far, I want to play it safe till I can destroy her Aroma Garden._

"My turn now!" Ruka said, drawing a card. "I place one card facedown and end my turn!"

Yuga was shocked. "Wait… no monsters?" Ruka narrowed her eyes, as if telling him to shut up. Yuga shrugged and drew his card. "Well alright… my turn! I summon Dragonpulse Magician (1800/900) in attack mode! Then I switch my attack mode Dragonpit Magician to defense mode, just to be safe. Now, attack her directly Dragonpulse!"

The new magician complied, twirling his staff and sending a wave of energy at Ruka, who took the full blast, shielding her face with her arms. (Ruka: 6900 - 5100)

"I end my turn there." Yuga said.

Ruka tapped her duel pad. "On your end phase, I activate Humid Winds! This continuous trap allows me to pay 1000 life points to add one Aroma monster from my deck to my hand. In addition to that, if I have fewer life points then you do, I can increase mine by 500 once per turn with this card."

Yuga growled. "Another powerful card. She's really something."

"I pay 1000 life points (Ruka: 5100 - 4100) so I can add Aromage Rosemary to my hand." Ruka said, adding the card her deck gave to her into her hand, then drawing another for the start of her turn. "My move! I summon Aromage Rosemary! (1800/700)" This Aromage had dark blue hair, a greenish blue school girl looking uniform with a blue cloak, and blue knee high boots. "Then, I activate the effect of Aroma Garden! I increase my life points by 500, (Ruka: 4100 - 4600) which activates the effect of my Dried Winds. Using it, I destroy one of your Dragonpit Magicians. Farther more, the effect of my Aromage Rosemary activates. Because my life points increased, I can switch a monster face up on the field from attack mode to defense mode, or the other way around once this turn."

Yuga was shocked. "You mean…"

Ruka smirked. "That's right, I can change your other Dragonpit Magician from defense mode to attack mode. Farther more, Aroma Garden's other effect kicks in. Because my life points increased, every monster on my side of the field gains 500 attack and 500 defense. (Aromage Rosemary: 1800/700 - 2300/1200) Now, I activate Humid Winds, by paying 1000 life points (Ruka: 4600 - 3600) I add Aromage Bergamot to my hand. Also, since my life points are now lower than yours, I can use Humid Winds second effect and gain 500 life points. (Ruka: 3600 - 4100)

Yuga sighed. "Even when she damages herself to use card effects it's not that big of a deal to her. She can just recover her life points."

"Battle!" Ruka declared. "I attack Dragonpit Magician with Aromage Rosemary!" Rosemary twirled her staff and sent a wave of blue petals at Dragonpit Magician, evaporating him. (Yuga: 4000 - 2600) "I end my turn."

Yuga looked down the field, eyeing Ruka. _This duel is nothing like any other duel I've been in. I've never faced a deck like hers before. I can't give up though. If I can get rid of that Aroma Garden card, it would be the start of my comeback. I just need to draw the right card._ "My turn!" He then drew his card. "I summon Wisdom-Eye Magician (1500/1500) from my hand in attack mode! Next, from my extra deck, I pendulum summon the two Dragonpit Magicians in defense mode. That ends my turn, which means Aromage Rosemary's attack returns to normal! (Aromage Rosemary: 2300/1200 - 1800/700)"

Ruka frowned. _He left his Dragonpulse Magician in attack mode, and even summoned another monster in attack mode. Why?_ She then drew a card. "My turn! I sacrifice Aromage Rosemary to summon Aromage Bergamot! (2400/1800)" The monster that appeared this time was very serious looking, with stern red eyes and flowing red hair that reached down to her feet. She was wearing a red and white outfit with black boots. "Then, I activate Aroma Garden's effect, to increase my life points and the power of my monsters. (Ruka: 4100 - 4600; Aromage Bergamot: 2900/2300) Next, Dried Winds activates, destroying your Dragonpit Magician. Farther more, Aromage Bergamot's effect activates."

Yuga sighed. "I knew she had to have one too."

"If I gain life points, Aromage Bergamot gains 1000 attack and defense points till the end of your next turn. (Aromage Bergamot: 2900/2300 - 3900/3300)"

Yuga stepped back a little. "I take it that's your best monster?"

Ruka smirked. "You can say that. Now I activate Humid Winds, paying 1000 life points (Ruka: 4600 - 3600) to add Aromage Jasmine to my hand."

Yuga was confused. "Why? You got the monster you need."

Ruka frowned at him. "You can never be too careful in a duel. Sometimes you need more than just your best monster to win. I'm just getting ready for the worst. Now, I attack your Dragonpulse Magician with my Aromage Bergamot!"

Aromage Bergamot raised her hand, sending a flurry of red rose pedals to slice up Dragonpulse Magician, destroying him instantly. (Yuga: 2600 - 200)

"I end my turn there." Ruka said, staring down Yuga. "You're 200 life points from defeat. This duel is over on my text turn!"

 _No kidding. And if she managed to get Rosemary back onto the field, like I think she's planning on, she can change my monster's position, so it won't matter if I place them in defense mode. I have to draw the right card right now!_ Yuga thought. "It's my turn!" _Come on deck, don't let me down._

He drew the card, praying with all his heart. He then looked at the card and cheered. "Alright! I activate the spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"What!?" Ruka shouted, shocked.

"This magic card destroys one magic or trap card on my opponents field, and I choose Aroma Garden!" Yuga declared happily. The field spell vanished, placing them back to the school. "Now I switch my Dragonpulse Magician to defense mode, and pendulum summon Dragonpit Magician and Wisdon-Eye Magician back onto the field in defense mode. I end my turn there."

Ruka growled a little, gritting her teeth. "You'll pay for destroying that card! My turn! I summon the Effect Veiler I drew, and tune her with my Aromage Bergamot!"

Yuga was stunned. "A Synchro Summon!?"

"Why Syncrho Summon?" Naomi said to herself, walking over to watch the duel her roommate was in with Shin. "Bergamot does piercing damage."

"She's flustered." Roku said, who had appeared with Asami to watch the duel as well. "Ruka isn't clearly thinking her plays through, and resorted to Synchro's to try and overwhelm Yuga. Still a critical error though, as she could've just ended the duel in her victory by attacking either Dragonpulse or Wisdom-Eye. On top of that, she could've sacrificed a different monster then Rosemary to summon Bergamot."

Ruka closed her eyes, chanting to herself as Effect Veiler turned into a ring of green energy, surrounding Aromage Bergamot, who was turning into six stars of light, green light enveloping it. "Almighty wyvern of light, grant me your ever increasing power! Synchro Summon! Appear before me, level 7, Ancient Sacred Wyvern! (2100/2000)" The light vanished, replaced with a giant white wyvern. "Ancient Sacred Wyvern's special effect, when my life points are higher than yours, it gains the difference between them in attack points. (2100/2000 - 5500/2000) However, when mine are lower than yours, it losses the difference in attack points."

"That creature has 5500 attack points now!" Yuga gasped, stunned.

"Ancient Sacred Wyvern, attack Dragonpulse Magician!" Ruka declared. The beast let out a roar, white light echoing from its mouth, obliterating Dragonpulse. "I activate Humid Winds, decreasing my life points by 1000 (Ruka: 3600 - 2600; Ancient Sacred Wyvern: 5500/2000 - 4500/2000) to add Aroma Jar to my hand. I end my turn now."

"I don't get it." Yuga said. "Why did you cut your life points farther and weaken your monster?"

"Because I need monsters in my hand." Ruka explained. "I need to be prepared in case my Wyvern is sent to the grave."

 _She's got a point._ Yuga thought. _And right now, I can't stop that creature anyway. I need a new plan._ "My turn!" Yuga said, drawing a card. "I set a monster face down in defense mode and end my turn."

"At your end phase I activate Humid Wind, decreasing my life points farther (Ruka: 2600 - 1600; Ancient Sacred Wyvern: 4500/2000 - 3500/200) to add Aromage Jasmine to my hand."

 _With Jasmine's special effect, she can draw cards whenever she gains life._ Yuga thought. _Farther more, the other special effect of Jasmine allows her to normal summon two plants instead of one when her life is higher than mine._

Ruka then drew her card. "My turn. I summon Aromage Cananga to my field, and as you know, when she is on the field in attack mode, she decrease your face up monsters attack and defense by 500 points. (Dragonpit Magician x2: 900/2700 - 400/2200; Wisdom-Eye Magician: 1500/1500 - 1000/1000) Now, Ancient Sacred Wyvern, attack his first Dragonpit Magician. Aromage Cananga, attack his set monster." The set defense mode monster was Timegazer Magician. (1200/600) "I end my turn."

 _This stall tactic is keeping me in the game._ Yuga thought. _But I am not going to beat her just by stalling. The more turns I give her, the more opportunities she has to somehow revive her Rosemary card, and if that happens, she can switch my monsters battle position, which would be the end for me._

"Alright, it's my turn." Yuga declared, drawing. "I activate Summoner's Art, allowing me to pull a third Dragonpit Magician from my deck. Next, I pendulum summon a Dragonpit Magician from my extra deck, and the Dragonput Magician from my hand. (Dragonpit Magician x2: 900/2700 - 400/2200). I end my turn."

Ruka narrowed her eyes. "You're doing that so you can have higher defense point monsters. Sorry, Yuga, but once I break your defense, it's over. My turn, and I draw! I sacrifice Aromage Cananga to summon Gigaplant. Because Aromage Cananga left the field, your monster's attack points return to normal. (Dragonpit Magician x3: 400/2200 - 900/2700; Wisdom-Eye Magician: 1000/1000 - 1500/1500) But you aren't safe! Ancient Sacred Wyvern will attack a Dragonpit Magician, while Gigaplant will attack your Wisdom-Eye Magician! I end my turn. Now Yuga, give up, I can do this all day if I have to."

"Sadly, I can to!" Yuga said stubbornly, "I draw! I pendulum summon back Dragonpit Magician, and from my hand, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! (2500/2000)

Ruka smirked. "So now I get to destroy your favorite monster over and over?"

Yuga growled a little. "I end my turn."

Ruka drew her card. "I summon another Effect Veiler. Now, I turn my Veiler to my Gigaplant!" She then closed her eyes as the Synchro Summon happened. "Chilling flames engulf the world. Pitch dark flower, set into bloom. Synchro Summon! Appear before me, level 7, Black Rose Dragon! (2400/1800)"

Yuga looked up at the new dragon. "I don't even want to know why she summoned this one."

Ruka smiled. "When Black Rose Dragon is summoned, I can destroy every card on the field."

Yuga immediately acted. "Don't think so. Activate trap card, Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare! When a monster that was summoned this turn activates its effect, I can negate that effect and destroy the monster!"

Black Rose Dragon shrieked in pain before vanishing. Ruka growled a little. "Ancient Sacred Wyvern, destroy a Dragonpit Magician!"

"You must really hate him, huh?" Yuga noted, watching as his Dragonpit Magician was destroyed again.

"I end my turn." Ruka said. "Yuga, we both know I am going to win. Please just surrender already."

Yuga shook his head. "Sorry Ruka, I guess I am too stubborn. My turn, and I draw! Yuga drew his card and smirked. "And I say its game. Good thing I didn't surrender when you told me to, otherwise I wouldn't have won!"

Ruka raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Yuga smirked. "I activate Oafdragon Magician's Pendulum effect! By having a magician in my other Pendulum zone, I can return one Magician or Odd-Eyes monster in my extra deck to my hand. I choose Dragonpulse Magician!"

Ruka looked confused. "Why?"

Yuga smirked and held up the card he drew. "You'll see. Now I activate Mystical Space Typhoon! Destroying my Oaf Dragon! Next, I place the scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician into my Pendulum zone I just freed up!"

"If you were going to just put him there, why destroy Oafdragon Magician? You can just pendulum summon level 2 monsters now." Ruka then suddenly realized something. "Unless…"

Yuga nodded. "I need Dragonpulse Magician's pendulum effect, which I now activate! Once per turn, by discarding a pendulum monster from my hand, I can destroy one monster on the field! I discard Stargazer Magician, to destroy your only remaining monster, Ancient Sacred Wyvern!"

Ancient Sacred Wyvern roared in pain before vanishing, shocking Ruka, who looked at Yuga wide eyed. _He actually pulled it off!_ She clenched her teeth and looked at the Aroma Jar card in her hand. _Why didn't I summon this? The special effect of my Aroma Jar would have prevented it from getting destroyed in battle. I got too cocky and flustered…_

"I switch Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to attack mode!" Yuga declared. "Now Odd-Eyes, direct attack! (Ruka: 1600 - 0)"

Yuga Wins!

Ruka gasped for breath from being blown back from Odd-Eyes's last attack. Yuga ran up to her and offered her his hand. She smiled, taking it and getting to her feet. Shin, Naomi, Asami and Roku now joined them on the field, congratulating Yuga on his win.

"Thanks guys, but it was a close game." Yuga said. "She almost won, more than once."

"Still, I didn't win. You're really good, Yuga." Ruka said, smiling at him.

"Thanks, but that deck of yours is no joke." Yuga noted. "You got some serious talent there."

Ruka blushed at the complement, but said nothing. Soon, Yuga and Shin decided to go to their rooms and get started on the essay. Naomi and Asami followed after them, deciding to get started as well. Roku and Ruka were the only ones left on the field, watching their friends leave.

"You know, you could've won with your Aromage Bergamot." Roku said.

"I know." Ruka said, looking down ashamed. "I realized I could've right after Synchro Summoning Wyvern."

"Not just that, but you didn't place…"

"Aroma Jar, I know I know." Ruka noted. "He just got me so flustered, I wasn't thinking straight. Next time, I'll remain calm and keep a focused head, and win."

Roku remained silent for a bit, then smiled. "Still, this gives me a reason to duel him now."

Ruka raised an eyebrow at her brother. "You're serious? You usually are never the one to issue the challenge."

"Yuga and I are undefeated so far, even if his victory today could've been prevented." Roku smirked. "I say it'll soon be time to find out who the strongest freshman is."

* * *

 **Alright, sorry I am putting my usual beginning authors note at the end, but I just wanted to say a few more things. Yes, I am aware the duel between Ruka and Yuga was probably not the best, but in my defense: I had Ruka make mistakes so she can improve as not only a character, but as a duelist. Second, yeah the duel may have been a little too long, but this was mostly because I wanted to show off a lot of Ruka's cards. I will be improving her deck soon, as I got new ideas for an Aromage deck.**

 **And dum dum dum DUM, Yuga vs Roku in the future!**


	5. The Best Freshman

**Alright, couple things I wanna say before this chapter starts. One, yes I know this is a very short chapter. There wasn't much I really wanted to cover besides the duel and some information about what might happen next chapter. Second, school is going to be resuming for me next week so updates might take awhile to come out. I apologize for this in advance and I hope everyone can be patient with me.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Friday was finally upon the students at Union Duel School, and it showed. The students of the school seemed much livelier this day then they had the entire week of school, talking happily amongst themselves about what they should do this weekend. Of course, Yuga and Shin had already agreed to do a movie night with Ruka and the others, but their plans seemed to have changed.

"There's supposed to be a grand duel tomorrow night." Ruka said, holding up a newspaper at lunch. "I was thinking that we could watch that instead of a movie."

"That's fine." Yuga said with his mouth stuffed with food. "Who's dueling?"

"One of the people is the current champion, Hero." Ruka read. "Not sure who the other one is. The press is keeping his name a secret."

"Giving the champ all the light of course." Naomi muttered to herself. "Why is the media so focused on him anyway? We want to know what else is going on in the dueling world."

"That's just how they always are." Asami noted. "Not that I mind. Hero's cute, despite always wearing that mask."

Roku walked over as everyone sighed, sitting down. He looked up at Yuga briefly before digging into his food, slowly eating.

"Hey, Roku. What's up?" Yuga greeted.

Roku didn't reply for a bit, but then swallowed his food before looking directly at Yuga. "Yuga, duel me after class!"

"Say what?" Yuga said, taken a back. The rest of the table was also stunned, except for Ruka, who sighed.

"After this week of school, we remain the only two undefeated freshman." Roku said, his eyes narrowing. "It's time to find out who is the top freshman of our class. On top of that, you defeated my sister two days ago, and I need to see for myself the skills that allowed you to do that."

"Alright then." Yuga accepted, smirking. "Been waiting to duel you for a long time!"

"Yuga." Shin moaned, tugging on his roommates arm. "I hope you know what you are doing! Roku is good, I mean he's beaten 20 of our classmates in a row without breaking a sweat."

"Of course I know what I am doing." Yuga nodded. "I mean it's as Roku said, we need to find out who the stronger freshman is!"

Shin sighed, but there was no talking Yuga out of it. The rest of the day, Yuga was on the edge of his seat, barely able to contain his excitement for the duel coming up. As the day progressed, whispers were flying around the school about the upcoming duel, and it wasn't just Yuga who was getting pumped. By the time Gym let out, every freshman student knew about the duel, and had gathered in the student courtyard to witness the duel between Roku and Yuga. Even some juniors were among them, eagerly awaiting the match.

Shin was looking around nervously as he stood next to Yuga in the courtyard, waiting for Roku to show up. "Are you sure you don't wanna back out? I mean, our entire class is here!"

Yuga smiled at him. "Don't sweat it too much. I mean, I can't back out now, and besides, I'm going to win."

"Sure." Shin nervously said, as Roku and Ruka appeared walking towards them. "Just be careful, Yuga. Roku's better then everyone if his dueling record is right!"

Yuga nodded as Shin walked to the side of the crowed. Ruka joined him, watching as Roku pulled out a golden colored duel pad, igniting its black blade. Yuga did the same with his blue duel pad.

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Roku: 4000

"I'll start things off." Yuga said. "I use the scale 1 Stargazer Magician and the scale 5 Wisdom-Eye Magician to set the Pendulum Scale! Next, I use Wisdom-Eye's Pendulum effect! By destroying herself, she allows me to place one Magician Pendulum Monster in my Pendulum scale in her place, and I choose my scale 8 Timegazer Magician! Next, by using Stargazer and Timegazer, I Pendulum Summon Dragonpulse Magician (1800/900) from my hand, and Wisdom-Eye Magician (1500/1500) from my Extra Deck. I end my turn!"

"Alright!" Shin shouted. "Nice play!"

"Just wait." Ruka muttered to Shin. "You haven't seen my brother make his move yet, and knowing him, it's going to be a good one."

"That's all, huh?" Roku said, drawing a card. "Okay then. I activate Foolish Burial! Now I can send a monster from my deck to my graveyard, and I choose Gwenhwufar, Queen of Noble Arms. Next, I summon Noble Knight Peredur (1900/300) in attack mode."

"Uh oh." Yuga muttered.

"That knight is stronger than Yuga's magician!" Shin said.

"I'm not done yet!" Roku said. "Now I activate Gwenhwufar's special effect! When she's in my graveyard, I can equip her onto a Noble Knight I control, and of course I am choosing my Noble Knight Peredur. By doing this, my Noble Knight gains 300 attack points. (Noble Knight Peredur: 1900/1300 - 2200/1300) But it doesn't stop there, cause when Noble Knight Peredur has an equip spell on him, he becomes a Dark attribute monster, and gains a level from 4 to 5! Next, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Stargazer Magician in your Pendulum Zone!"

A gust of wind blew around Stargazer Magician, making him vanish from the Pendulum zone.

"Now, I attack! Noble Knight Peredur, attack his Wisdom-Eye Magician!" Roku commanded. The knight draw his sword and rushed forward, slicing through Wisdom-Eye Magician and destroying it. (Yuga: 4000 - 3300) "I end my turn."

Yuga hissed a little, drawing a card. "My move! I just drew the scale 2 Oafdragon Magician, and I'll place him in my pendulum zone! Next, I pendulum summon back the Wisdom-Eye Magician in my Extra Deck, as well as the Stargazer Magician(1200/2400) you destroyed, both in defense mode. Now, I place a monster in defense mode, and I'll end my turn there."

"That's really all Yuga can do." Shin said. "That Noble Knight has 2200 attack points!"

"My turn then." Roku drew his card, looked at it and then acted. "I summon Merlin! (1400/500) With his special effect, by sacrificing him from my side of the field, I can summon Noble Knight Gawayn (1900/500) from my deck!"

Yuga was stunned. "A monster that can summon from the deck?"

"My Noble Knights are capable of more than just deck summoning, Yuga." Roku said. "You've only tasted some of their power! Now, Noble Knight Peredur attack his set monster!" It was Dragonpulse Magician, and after being revealed Dragonpulse vanished from the field with a single sword slash. "Noble Knight Gawayn, destroy his Wisdom-Eye Magician! I end my turn there."

Yuga drew his next card. "Right, my move! I pendulum summon Dragonpulse Magician, Wisdom-Eye Magician, and the Dragonpit Magician (900/2700) I drew in defense mode! My turn is finished."

"Boosting your defenses will only cost you. You need to attack to win this duel." Roku said, drawing a card. "My sister feel to your stalling for time tactic, but I will not! I summon Noble Knight Medraut (1700/1000) in attack mode. And now, with my level 4 Noble Knight Gawayn, and my level 4 Noble Knight Medraut, I overlay!"

Shin gasped. "He can Xyz Summon!?"

"Mighty king, draw your sword and storm into battle. Lead your troops to victory. Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights! (2000/2000)" Roku chanted. "I now activate Artorigus's effect! Once per turn, by using one overlay unit, I can destroy as many spell and trap cards on the field as I have equip spells. I only have one, so I will destroy your Timegazer Magician!"

Timegazer Magician exploded in Yuga's Pendulum Zone. "There goes him." Yuga muttered.

"Artorigus, destroy his Dragonpulse Magician!" Roku commanded. "I end my turn with that."

Yuga smirked, preparing to draw. _He's good, I'll admit that. He's able to prevent me from Pendulum Summoning with that monster's effect. But I believe in my deck, and I am sure the right card is coming to me._ "I'll draw, and end my turn."

"Not much else he can do." Ruka muttered. "Not until he either draws the right card, or gets another high scale Pendulum monster."

"My turn then." Roku draw his card. "I activate the equip spell, Noble Arms – Excaliburn! When this card is equipped onto a Noble Knight monster, that monster cannot be targeted by card effects!"

Yuga hissed a little. "So I can't destroy whatever monster he has that thing on with any card effects."

Roku nodded. "I choose my Noble Knight Peredur! Next, I use my final overlay unit on Artorigus, and destroy your Oafdragon Magician in your Pendulum Zone!"

"Now he's got no pendulum monsters in either zone!" Shin groaned.

"Noble Knight Peredur, destroy his Wisdom-Eye Magician!" Roku commanded. His knight used the golden Excaliburn to destroy Yuga's magician instantly. "I end my turn there."

 _He's got me cornered._ Yuga thought. _Not only can I no longer Pendulum Summon, but his monsters are more powerful in attack power then the two I got on the field, but I know I got the right card coming up… now!_ Yuga draw, and smiled at the card he pulled. "I activate Summoner's Art! With this, I can take a level 5 or higher monster from my deck and put it into my hand. I choose Metaphize Armed Dragon!"

Shin smiled. "I get it, because that dragon has 2800 attack, and Yuga can sacrifice the two monsters he's got on the field!"

Yuga nodded. "I sacrifice my Stargazer Magician and Dragonpit Magician to summon, the level 7 Metaphize Armed Dragon! (2800/1000) Now, Metaphize Armed Dragon attack his Noble Knight Peredur!"

The dragon roared, shockwaves coming from his mouth, but Roku smiled. "Didn't you know? The knight always slays the dragon. I activate Gwenhwufar, Queen of Noble Arms second special effect!"

"She's got a second one?" Shin said surprised. Even Ruka seemed shocked.

"That's right. When she is equipped to a Dark monster, which my Noble Knight Peredur is because he has an equip spell on him, I can destroy the monster that Noble Knight Peredur is battling, at the cost of destroying Gwenhwufar!"

Gwenhwufar vanished from the spell and trap zone, but Yuga's dragon vanished along with the madian. Yuga girt his teeth as he looked at Roku. "I end my turn."

Roku nodded, drawing a card. "I activate Gwenhwufar's special effect from the graveyard. She can now equip herself onto Artorigus! (Artorigus: 2000/2000 - 2300/2000) Now Artorigus, attack his life points directly! (Yuga: 3300 - 1000) Peredur, do a direct attack as well! (Yuga: 1000 - 0)"

Roku Wins!

Cheers erupted from all around them as Yuga took a knee. Shin gasped and ran up to Yuga, looking at him with worry. However, Yuga looked up, giving Roku a smile. "That was an amazing duel, Roku!"

Roku merely nodded, turning away. Ruka ran after him, giving Yuga a slight smile. She caught up to her brother, and began walking by his side. "Feeling better after that?"

Roku smiled. "I can see he's got heart. He's going to be a good duelist… and a good rival."

Ruka giggled a little. "You were surprised to hear he got me flustered, but what about you? You never are this eager to duel anyone, let alone express them as your rival after dueling them and creaming them."

"It's as you said, he's different." Roku said, looking back. "He's got a dueling energy unlike any I've felt, and it's got me pumped up to duel him again when he gets stronger."


	6. Duel of the Century

**Yay Chapter 6 time! Before we begin, I would like to say that I start school tomorrow, so updates might be less frequent then before, depending on my work load.** **But enough about depressing things like school. I'd like to thank the following reviewers and respond to the reviews.**

 **Komori Rias, who brings up an interesting point about how Yuga got into the school despite having low grades. Thank you for the review, and I say that is a case of "protagonist privilege" like you say, but also Jaden got into Duel Academy in YuGiOh GX despite his low grades as well, so that is kinda what I based that on.**

 **Erik Dokuryuu Cobra, who states he loves Roku's character and his Noble Knights deck. Thanks for the review, and yes Noble Knights are good cards. I never actually used them myself till I was writing Chapter 5, so I hope I wrote that duel okay. I am glad you are enjoying the story!**

 **And finally we had a guest review from Martyn, who suggests that Yuga should suffer from Luminescent Blush around Roku. For those who don't know, Luminescent Blush is when a character is embarrassed or deeply affected emotionally, usually displaying a dark red blush just under their eyes across their nose. This, usually, is done to display when a character likes another character, and I've already used it in this story before (Vince to Ruka in Chapter 3, Yuga to Ruka in the same chapter, and Yuga and Ruka to each other in Chapter 4). Not sure if you are suggesting that Yuga should be attracted to Roku, or if he should be embarrassed about his loss to Roku. Yuga is not gay, as shown already via Yuga and Ruka's interactions, so he won't be attracted to Roku. As for him being embarrassed about losing to Roku... well he's not embarrassed about it, and is taking his loss in stride. If he was embarrassed about it, I would have put that in the last chapter.**

 **Thank you everyone who reads the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Saturday morning was like a breath of fresh air on campus. Students were able to sleep in late so everyone was walking up with tons of energy, and by the time 11 o'clock rolled around every student was active and lively.

Except for one particular freshman.

 _How can he still be asleep at this hour?_ Shin asked himself, sitting on his bed as he looked at Yuga, who was lying on his back, arms and legs all spread out, snoring a bit. Shin sighed, looking back onto his Duel Pad which was in tablet mode, scrolling through emails that he had received. Finally, he got to one from a lady with the same colored hair as him. He smiled slightly, recognizing his mom instantly, and began reading the letter. His face suddenly went from happy to shock, as he let out a loud yell of surprise.

Yuga instantly shot up. "I summon… oh, I'm not in a duel…" He then turned to Shin, yawning. "What was the yell about?"

Shin paled, looking up at Yuga with fear in his eyes. "I…I found out who is dueling Hero tonight!"

Yuga blinked. "And that's bad?"

Twenty minutes later, Yuga was showered and changed, and he and Shin relocated to the cafeteria to meet up with their friends for lunch. While there, Shin told them about the email, and what it contained.

"Your brother is dueling Hero?" Yuga asked.

Shin nodded, still looking like he'd seen a ghost. "Yeah, mom's email told me about it, because the media is keeping his identity hidden."

"Shouldn't you be proud that your brother got as far as he did in the pro leagues?" Naomi asked. "I mean, it's not like just anyone can duel the champ."

Shin shook his head wildly. "You don't understand! I mean, he's a good duelist, but it's my relationship with him… you know how I hate bullies? Well, normally you'd imagine your siblings would protect you from them and be there for you… well not my brother! And it wasn't just me either, he was nasty towards everyone! He even was nasty to my parents after he joined the pros."

Yuga blinked. "I don't understand. You told me your brother gave you the cards to build your deck and helped you build it."

Shin shivered a little. "Yeah, but not out of kindness I assure you…"

" _Big brother, can you teach me duel monsters?"_

 _A five year old Shin was looking up at his eleven year old brother in admiration, watching as the older sibling shifted through cards. His green eyes were scanning through his cards, his dark blue hair getting in the way of his eyes, causing him to brush it out of them. He was wearing a dark blue school boy uniform, which he dropped a card on. Shin reached up to grab it, but the brother grabbed his hand._

" _This is my card, pest!"_

" _But big brother, I just wanna play with you?"_

 _The older brother then smirked, although it was a malicious smile. "You wanna play? Fine… I'll give you some cards." He then reached over and grabbed a box, throwing it down to the little brother. "Here."_

 _Shin grabbed the box and opened it, his smile showing nothing but glee. When he looked at the cards, however, all he saw was three copies of Yellow Gadget, Green Gadget, and Red Gadget, along with some spell and traps. "Hey, these aren't really strong monsters, bro."_

" _Exactly." The older brother shot back, narrowing his eyes. "They're weak and small, like you! Now I gave you cards so get the hell out of my room before I throw you out!"_

" _But we share this room…"_

" _It's mine until you are sleeping, now scram!"_

"You didn't tell me that…" Yuga muttered, looking at Shin with sadness in his eyes. "You made your brother seem to be a nice guy who taught you the game, taught you Xyz and Fusion summoning."

"I lied…well kinda." Shin admitted. "He was more or less forced to teach me later in life, before he left... as well as giving me his cards."

" _Here."_

 _It was seven years later. Little Shin had grown in the years that had passed. His brother, now eighteen years old, was handing him some cards. Shin grabbed them carefully, his brother was sometimes known to prank him whenever he came home from dueling school. When Shin looked at the cards, however, he was surprised to find a bunch of Cyber monsters, some Xyz Monsters, and Fusion Monsters there._

" _Brother… you're giving me some powerful cards." His voice was total awe, his eyes tearing up. "You… you're being nice to me."_

" _Not by choice, brat." His brother harshly said, causing Shin to flinch. "I got too many copies of these cards. I can't fit them into my deck due to the three card rule, so mom is making me give them to you, as well as help you build a deck with them, so give me your cards before I change my mind!"_

 _Shin ran to get his cards, and his brother sat down, removing some unneeded cards and putting the Cyber cards into the deck._

" _I hate doing this." The brother said. "You'll never be a good duelist. I doubt you even know how to use these monsters."_

" _I've been watching you duel." Shin muttered, backing up a bit. "I know some tactics you use."_

" _Do you know Xyz and Fusion summoning?" The bother asked. When Shin shook his head, he sighed. "Then you haven't been watching my duels that well, huh? Anyway, dad is gonna force me to teach you some basics how to use the deck before I leave tomorrow. He and mom are making me do this or else I get no ride to the train station tomorrow."_

 _He shoved the new deck into Shin's hand. Shin looked at his brother in confusion. "You're leaving?"_

" _Of course, twerp." The brother shot. "Why would I stay here with you? I'm off to the pros."_

"He made it far." Shin continued. "We never really saw him after that… The day he gave me the Cyber cards and he taught me how to use them was the nicest he ever was… of course, he only gave me his extra cards because mom forced him to, and dad sat there the entire time he taught me cause he knew what would happen if he left the room…"

"That's terrible." Asami muttered.

"Yeah." Shin nodded. "But I lied to Yuga and everyone when I said my brother taught me and gave me the cards… well, not lied, just didn't tell you everything, like about my brother bullying me…"

Everyone was silent for a while. Finally, it was Yuga who spoke again. "Look, Shin… if you don't wanna watch tonight's duel…"

Shin shook his head. "No, I'll watch… Who knows?" Shin then smiled. "Maybe he mellowed out after these three years and is nicer now."

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Everyone was hyped up for the duel and wondering who Hero would be dueling. The only six that knew at the dueling school kept it to themselves, each one of them worried that Shin seeing his brother on the TV would only bring bad news.

Eventually, with the clock at 7:55, the six friends all were gathered in Roku's single bedroom. It was nice, having one bed, a couch that Roku got himself, a desk, a coffee table and a dresser where the TV stood, glowing as a duel arena was showing on the screen. Roku sat on the bed with Asami, which Naomi, Ruka and Yuga took the couch. Shin volunteered to sit on the floor, closest to the TV.

"Welcome to tonight's Duel Monsters Championship Match! Tonight, the Duel Monsters Campion Hero is going up against his seventh challenger this month! Will this finally be the night the Champ is taken down? Let's find out!"

The crowd in the stadium roared in excitement, each one holding up signs that said something about Hero and his legacy. Asami even held one of her own and cheered loudly, despite them not being with the rest of the crowd and in a dorm room.

"Now introducing the Champion of Duel Monsters… HERO!"

Suddenly, a guy began descending off the open off of the stadium into the arena below. His was holding the edges of his black cape with his black gloves, slowing his fall. The underside of the cape was red, to match his jumpsuit, and he was wearing a black mask over his black eyes and black boots, with a black H on his chest. His hair was spiked and black as well. He landed, blowing kisses as the crowd screamed his name "HERO" over and over, the girls in the crowd drowning out everyone else with their cries. The masked duelist lifted his hands up, pointing to the moon. "I, Hero, will vanquish any villain that steps into my arena!"

"His challenger." The announcer pointed, as a tall male wearing all black, from his pants to his jacket, stepped out of a tunnel before them. "21 year old Jirou Kenyo!"

"That's him." Shin muttered.

"Wow, he's pretty cute." Asami muttered, blushing a little at the glares she got from everyone else in the room. The older brother of Shin was very fierce looking, glaring daggers at Hero, who was smiling at his opponent. They met in the middle of the dueling arena, and although Hero extended his hand to shake, Jirou didn't accept it.

"You see, my dear audience." Hero spoke, still keeping his smile despite his hand shake being rejected. "The villains never like to play fair… well, it's time to make them pay."

Hero walked to one end of the arena while Jirou walked to the other. Hero pulled out a black duel pad, and extended a red blade. Jirou pulled out a bronze duel pad, which extended an electric yellow blade.

"Action field on!" The announcer said, activating a card on a computer. "Hero city!"

The entire field suddenly became cluttered with sky scrapers and platforms to jump on. Shin was shocked. "What, they are going to Action Duel?"

"All duels in the pros are action duels." Roku replied. "It forces you to think on your feet faster than ever before. This is a good match for us freshman to watch, as we haven't learned action dueling yet and can at least see it in action."

The announcer smiled, pointing up to the moon. "Duelists, ready? Action… DUEL!"

Hero: 4000 vs Jirou: 4000

"I'll begin, if you don't mind." Hero announced, black flipping onto a platform behind him. "I summon Elemental HERO Heat (1600/1200) to the field in attack mode!"

He placed the card on his blade. All of the sudden, a burning fire shot forth on the field, and when it vanished, a monster had appeared. He wore golden armor with red markings and had bright green eyes.

"Elemental Hero?" Shin asked.

"Well, his stage name is Hero." Ruka said. "Just wait…"

"Now I activate Mask Change! This magic card allows me to summon one Masked Hero from my Extra Deck, with the same attribute as one monster I tribute on my side of the field. I tribute Elemental HERO Heat, to summon the Fire attribute, Level 6 Masked HERO Goka! (2200/1800)" **(A/N: Since Masked Heroes are summoned very differently than most Fusion Monsters, I won't be writing Fusion Chants for them. Sorry…)**

Heat had disappeared from the field in a swarm of fire, to be replaced with a stronger looking hero wearing silver and black armor, red spikey shoulder pads, and blue eye plates.

"Masked Hero?" Yuga said.

"There you have it folks! Hero beings out his best monsters, the Masked Heroes, right off the bat!" The announcer exclaimed. "Jirou is in a tight pinch now!"

"Wait, that's a fusion monster! Shouldn't it need two tributes that combine together?" Shin exclaimed.

"Masked Heroes aren't like that." Roku stated. "They only need one tribute, despite being a Fusion Monster. In exchange, they can only be summoned by cards like Mask Change."

"I end my turn with one card face down." Hero stated, setting his card. "Now, it is the villain's turn."

Jirou narrowed his eyes. "If you spend more time practicing your dueling then practicing your acting, you might have made a better opening move. I draw!" Jirou looked at his card, thought for a minute, then acted. "I summon Cyber Dragon (2100/1600) to the field. Despite being a Level 5 monster, because you have a monster out and I don't, I don't need to sacrifice anything. Next, I activate the spell card, Evolution Burst! With this, if I have a Cyber Dragon on my side of the field, one card on my opponent's fiend is destroyed, and I am choosing your Masked HERO!"

Suddenly, Hero smirked, pressing his duel pad. "Activate trap, Safe Zone! By equipping this trap to Masked HERO Goka, he cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, in exchange, he cannot attack you directly, but that's a small price to pay."

Jirou growled, as the announcers voice boomed into the stadium. "Hero protects his monster from Jirou's card! How will the challenger respond?" Jirou then noticed something on a platform above him. With great agility, he leapt into the air and jumped off one of the sky scrapers to land on a platform above, picking up an Action Card. **(A/N: Note, since Action Cards can really be anything, all action cards could be made up on the spot. What? They do it in the show so I don't see the issue.)**

"Activate Action Card, Burst Storm! One of my monster's gains 300 attack, and can destroy a monster regardless of effects present on the field. (Cyber Dragon: 2100/1600 - 2400/1600) Now, Cyber Dragon, attack Masked HERO Goka!"

Cyber Dragon roared, sending a stream of electric blue energy out to Masked HERO Goka, destroying it instantly. (Hero: 4000 - 3800)

"The champ takes the first damage in the duel!" The announcer cheered. "Who would have thought that would happen!?"

"Your brother's pretty good!" Naomi said, impressed.

Shin nodded, smiling a little bit. "Yeah, he was top of the class when he attended Duel School."

"I end my turn my placing one card face down." Jirou stated. "Burst Storm's effect now wears off, and Cyber Dragon's attack returns to normal. (Cyber Dragon: 2400/1600 - 2100/1600)"

Hero smirked. "You're good, but you should know my Masked Heroes won't die that easily. I draw!" He drew a card, then suddenly leapt up onto another platform and grabbed an Action Card. "I activate the action card, Magic Regeneration! I can now take a spell card from my graveyard and activate it this turn."

"He's going after Mask Change!" Yuga noted.

"I then summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman (800/1200) to the field, and since he is the only monster on my field, I can draw two cards." Hero declared, drawing two more cards once Bubbleman appeared on the field. "Next, I activate Mask Change, thanks to Magic Regeneration. Using this, I tribute the water attribute Bubbleman, to summon the water attribute, Level 8 Masked HERO Acid! (2600/2100)"

Bubbleman disappeared into a torrent of water, to be replaced with a dark blue clad wearing superhero monster holding what looked like a water gun.

"Acid's special ability activates!" Hero declared. "When he's special summoned, all spell and traps you control are instantly destroyed, and once that happens, your monsters all lose 300 attack!"

"Say what?" Jirou exclaimed, but it was too late. His set card instantly vanished, and Cyber Dragon roared in pain as parts of him dissolved like he was struck by acid. (Cyber Dragon: 2100/1600 - 1800/1600)

"Acid, destroy Cyber Dragon now!" Hero commanded. Jirou looked around for an Action Card, but it was in vain as he didn't find a single one. Cyber Dragon was struck down, and some residue acid hit Jirou, causing him to yelp in pain. (Jirou: 4000 - 3200)

"I end my turn there." Hero decaled, flipping up another level and grabbing yet another Action Card. "But not before adding this baby to my hand."

Jirou hissed. "You twerp!" At the word twerp, Shin flinched. "My draw! I summon Cyber Dragon Zwei (1500/1000), and with him on the field, I activate the spell card, Transmodify! By sacrificing my Level 4 Zwei, I can summon one monster from my desk a level higher! Rise again, Cyber Dragon!"

The Zwei disappeared, replaced by the bigger Cyber Dragon. Hero smirked. "Why him? My Acid will just blow him away like he did before."

Jirou smirked, flipping up to another platform like Hero did and grabbing an Action Card. "I activate the Action Card, revival! With this, I can resummon a monster that was destroyed. Rise, my second Cyber Dragon!" The second Cyber Dragon reappeared on the field. "Now, I play Polymerization! I now fuse together my two Cyber Dragons!"

Hero was stunned. "How did you guess that you would get that Action Card?" Hero then remembered Jirou looking around when his Acid attacked, and realized the Action Card Jirou grabbed was halfway off the platform. _So he read the Action Card's name and guessed it's effect while I was destroying his Cyber Dragon?_

"Two machine dragons, merge together into a new ferocious machine! Fusion Summon! Level 8, Cyber Twin Dragon! (2800/2100)" The two Cyber Dragon swirled together to be replaced by a twin headed Cyber Dragon. "My Cyber Twin Dragon can attack twice in one turn! Now, Cyber Twin Dragon, destroy his Masked HERO Acid!"

Hero, however, smirked, placing the Action Card he picked up before into his duel pad. "Activate Action Card, Evasion! This Action Card negates the attack on your monster, saving mine!" The first head of Cyber Twin Dragon launched a blast of light, but Masked HERO Acid simply jumped away from the blast.

Jirou smirked. "It doesn't matter, your Masked Hero will die anyway. Cyber Twin Dragon, launch your second attack!" Cyber Twin Dragon shot a blast of light out of his second head, destroying the Masked HERO Acid. (Hero: 3800 - 3600) "My turn is finished, and this duel will be soon!"

Hero smiled all the same. "The villain always falls in the end, Jirou. You'll soon learn that yourself!" He drew his card, smiling at he looked at it. "I summon Elemental HERO Wildheart! (1500/1600)" A wild looking man appeared on the field, covered in war paint. "Now I activate the spell card, Mask Change II. It works just like the first one, and by sending my Wildheart to the grave, I summon the earth attribute, Level 8 Masked HERO Dian! (2800/3000)" A silver armor clad monster appeared on Hero's field, with a blue cape, carrying a silver sword.

Jirou smirked. "Summoning a monster with the same attack points will barely get you anywhere."

"But that's why I got this Spell Card." Hero said, placing a card into his Duel Pad. "Activate Shield and Sword. Now, all monsters attack and defense are switched." (Cyber Twin Dragon: 2800/2100 - 2100/2800; Masked HERO Dian: 2800/3000 - 3000/2800)

Jirou hissed. "I've never heard of that card."

Hero shrugged. "Everyone now a days like to use flashy new cards. This is one of the first cards ever made, back when the game was young. It was handed down to me from my father. Now, Masked HERO Dian, attack the Cyber Twin Dragon!" Dian charged forward and beheaded both of Cyber Twin Dragon's heads before it was destroyed. (Jirou: 3200 - 2300) "And when Dian destroys a monster in battle, I can summon a Level 4 or lower Elemental HERO from my deck. Rise, Elemental HERO Sparkman! (1600/1400) Now, Sparkman, attack Jirou directly!" Sparkman flew forward with his hand sparking with lightning, slamming it into Jirou, who roared in anger and pain before taking a knee. (Jirou: 2300 - 700) "My turn is complete, villain. At this moment, any monster that was effected by Shield and Sword returns to normal. (Masked HERO Dian: 3000/2800 - 2800/3000)"

Jirou got back onto his feet, glaring at Hero in anger. "You… you'll pay for that!"

Hero smirked. "Oh please. You're 700 life points away from defeat, and I have two monsters on the field. You don't stand a chance against my greatness."

Jirou roared, shocking everyone. "You have no idea of my deck's power! My turn!" Jirou drew his card, smirking when he looked at it. He kept it in his right hand as he pulled another from his hand. "I summon my Proto-Cyber Dragon! (1100/600)" He then pulled the card he drew and placed it into his Duel Pad. "Now I activate Overload Fusion! I banish monsters from my field and graveyard to summon a fusion monster! I banish Proto-Cyber Dragon, and from my graveyard Cyber Twin Dragon, Cyber Dragon Zwei, and my two Cyber Dragons… Overwhelming machine of unstoppable might, lay waste to those that dare oppose you! FUSION SUMMON! Level 9, Chimeratech Overdragon! (0/0)"

Hero smirked. "That monster has 0 points! What can it do to my Heroes?"

Jirou smirked, though his smile was very dark and demented. "Chimeratech Overdragon's special effect! When he is summoned, his attack and defense are equal to the number of monsters used to summon him times 800! (Chimeratech Overdragon: 0/0 - 4000/4000)"

Hero gasped in fear. "No way! He's got 4000 attack points!"

Jirou only smiled bigger. "And that's not the worst of your troubles. Because he was summoned using five monsters, he can attack five times!"

"That means…" Ruka muttered, stunned.

"Game over!" Jirou roared. "Chimeratech Overdragon! Attack Dian, Sparkman, and this so called 'Hero' directly!" Five of the dragon's heads roared and began charging blasts of blue lightning. Hero began panicking, looking wildly around for an Action Card, but it was in vain. Before he could find one, the dragon had fired, destroying Dian, Sparkman, and blasting Hero three times, sending him flying through the created buildings. Because they were solid vision, Hero's body was bruised all over when he hit the ground. (Hero: 3600 - 0) A paramedic rushed onto the field as the Solid Vision began to disappear, Jirou hopping from his platform back onto the ground.

"There we have it folks, Hero has been defeated and… Oh gosh, according to the medics, he is critically injured!"

Everyone in the stadium was silent with shock as Jirou turned from the field and began to leave. In Roku's room, the teenagers were staring at the TV with stunned looked on their faces, Shin looking in total fear as the camera zoomed onto his brother's face.

"He… he hasn't gotten better at all." Shin muttered. "In fact… he's worse than he ever was before!"


	7. Harpies and Cats

**Hey everyone, found some time to write the next chapter while on this long weekend break! First, like usual, I want to thank my reviewers and give them all a shout out!**

 **Erik Dokuryuu Cobra: Yes, Shin has a rough childhood with his douche brother. I am glad you are enjoying the story, and I did actually base some of Jirou's character on Evil Zane from YuGiOh GX**

 **Guest: You hate Jirou? GOOD, THAT MEANS I DID MY JOB! LET THE HATE FLOW THROUGH YOU! MUAHAHAHHA! -coughs from laughing too hard- Sorry :P but I am glad you are enjoying the story and thanks for the review.**

 **Metatron's Prophet: That's a very interesting Arc-V theory (for those who don't wanna read the review, he thinks that Ruri and Rin from Arc-V are brainwashed by the main antagonist, and will be dueling on their side). And I am glad you find my story interesting!**

 **Thanks everyone for supporting the story and reading it, and I hope you guys like this chapter.**

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To say that Shin fell into a depression after witnessing what his brother did on live television was an understatement. Yuga noticed that he only left his room for classes, and even then it seemed like he was lost to the world. Shin also didn't get help from his parents, who (now forced to admit their older child was an awful person) were too busy attempting to talk some sense into Jirou, who was on suspension by the Dueling Pro Council for his actions.

It had been two weeks after the live broadcast of the duel before any news about Hero came out, and when it did, it was on a Monday morning right before Advanced Summoning Methods at the end of September. Yuga was yawning, having fallen asleep in Dueling Tactics, but thankfully wasn't discovered by Takada before he was woken up a minute before the final bell by Ruka. Speaking of Ruka, she was currently reading the paper, where she gasped in shock.

"They finally released information on Hero!" She shouted. All the freshman turned to her, with Yuga, Roku, Asami and Naomi gathering around her, and even Shin looked up from his daze. "Hero is in bad shape after his duel with Jirou, and his recovery will take some time, but he is expected to make a full recovery and duel again!"

"That's good news." Yuga noted.

"Anything on Jirou?" Roku noted, ignoring Shin's flinch when the name was said.

"Nothing other than his suspension will still continue till the end of the year." Ruka noted. "The police haven't stated anything about a sentence or trail... but maybe they're just not releasing that information."

Shin sighed loudly as the freshman were finally allowed inside of the classroom for class. They all took their normal seats as Professor Himura stepped to the front of the classroom. "Good morning students. It is the end of September, which means I only got a short left to teach you everything else in my section of the course before Professor Jin, the Xyz Teacher, comes in to teach you about Xyz Summoning. Now, since we just finished covering Ritual Summoning, I believe it is time we dipped into Tag Dueling."

A soft mumble began to cover the classroom. After a few seconds, Ruka raised her hand. "Professor, what does Tag Dueling have to do with summoning? And we are already covering Tag Dueling in Dueling Tactics."

Himura nodded and smiled. "Ah yes, Takada did mention this. Well, the Tag Dueling you are learning in that class is controlling two fields, and having two separate 4000 life point counters, but still dueling along aide someone. That version of Tag Dueling you are learning has it so that if one of you falls, the other can still duel. However, the version of Tag Dueling you will be learning in this class is one field, one life point count of 8000, two duelists."

"So you are sharing a field with someone else, and therefore are sharing monsters to." Asami muttered.

"Exactly!" Himura nodded.

"But what does this have to do with summoning?" Naomi asked.

"I'm glad you asked Ms. Fujiwara." Himura said. "You see, because you and your ally are sharing a field, you need to use your summoning methods carefully. You don't want to sacrifice an ally's monster to summon your own, while that monster has a strategy that your ally was thinking of using to win."

"That just sounds like a lame excuse to cover this topic." Vince muttered.

"Ah, you may think that Mr. Koba, but just remember this lesson when you are in a Tag Duel with someone." Himura stated. "You see, class, not all Tag Duels are the same. Some you control your own field and life points, sometimes you have to share one field and life points. Yes, Takada would possibly be better to cover this then I am, but we came to a conclusion that you must learn how to utilize an opponent's monsters effectively. If you'd like to opt out of this section of the course, I can always just give you an F for this topic, Vince."

Chuckles sounded in the classroom as Vince turned a shade of red. "Shut up, all of you!"

"Now." Himura nodded. "A demonstration is in order. I say… Yuga and Shin vs Asami and Naomi."

Shin gasped and sat up, while Yuga smiled. "Alright, let's do this Shin!"

Shin paled. "Oh man… this won't be fun."

The desk in front of the classroom sank into the floor. All of the sudden, two panel looking devices popped out on either side of the front of the classroom, each one being its own dueling field.

"These are similar to the Duel Arena's used before duel disks were invented, but much nicer in size." Himura stated. "You and your partner will be keeping your decks in your duel disks, but any cards on the field or in the grave will be placed on the appropriate locations on these duel panels."

Asami and Naomi were already up at the front. Meanwhile, Yuga was trying to pull Shin out of his chair, with Ruka attempting to help as well. "Come on, Shin, you have to do this!"

Shin sighed. "What's the point? I'm no good to duel, and it's too dangerous anyway… what happens if the Cyber Dragons are fated to lure a duelist into darkness? What if I duel, and end up just like my brother?"

Yuga came to a sudden realization. "That's why you've been depressed this whole time?"

Suddenly, Vince's laugh echoed through the classroom. "What's the matter? Is little Shin too scared to duel after seeing his brother?"

Shin screamed in terror and put his head down on the desk. Yuga, however, turned to Vince and glared at him. "Get bent Vince, you no good money hogging, car loving, big headed, ego centric, small tempered, Ojama humping, butt-munching, asshole." **(A/N: Yes, this was a Dark Side Incorporated reference)**

Vince stood up in rage. "What did you say!?"

Himura shook his head. "Now now, children, there's no need for that language or that harshness. Vince, see me after class. As for Yuga and Shin…" Himura walked up to where Yuga and Shin sat, placing a hand on Shin's shoulder. "Young Kenyo, I understand what you witnessed two weeks ago was awful for you and your family to watch… however, you are not defined by your brother. You may use similar cards, but you are not a shadow of your brother, or like your brother in anyway. You are Shin Kenyo, and you will prove it in this duel today."

Shin remained quiet for a moment, then slowly sat up and nodded. "Okay… I'll duel."

Himura smiled. "Good boy! Show us how a true Kenyo duels."

Soon, both Yuga and Shin were standing in front of one of the silver terminals, while Asami and Naomi were in front of the other. All four of them nodded to each other and drew five cards from their duel disks.

"My randomized computer says…" Himura said, checking his duel pad. "Yes, Asami will make the first move, followed my Shin, then Naomi, then Yuga. Now remember students, you both share one field, and share 8000 life points, therefore you must work well with your partner. Then…"

"Duel!"

Yuga & Shin: 8000 vs. Asami & Naomi: 8000

"I'm first." Asami said. "I summon Harpie Lady 1 (1300/1400) in Attack mode! Next, I activate two copies of Elegant Egotist. Here's how it works, I now get to summon two monsters that are named Harpie Lady from my hand or deck. From my deck, I summon Harpie Lady 2 and Harpie Lady 3!" **(Both monsters have 1300/1400)**

"A Harpie Deck, huh?" Yuga muttered.

"Now my Harpies all activate their effects." Asami continued. "Haprie Lady 1's effect, all Wind Monsters gain 300 Attack points! (HL1, HL2 and HL3: 1300/1400 - 1600/1400) My 2 and 3's effects are passive, but still deadly. 2 negates any Flip effects that she battles, while 3 makes it so any monster that battles her can't declare an attack in your next two turns. I'll end my turn there."

Yuga narrowed his eyes. _She didn't just summon those monsters for their effects… did it summon them so Naomi can sacrifice them?_

Shin looked at Yuga, who gave him a confident smile. Shin smiled weakly back, before turning to the duel terminal, drawing a card. "Alright, my turn! I now activate Polymerization from my hand, to fuse two Cyber Dragon's together. Two machine dragons, merge together into a new ferocious machine! Fusion Summon! Level 8, Cyber Twin Dragon! (2800/2100) And thanks to his effect, I can attack twice this turn. Cyber Twin Dragon, attack Harpie Lady 2, then Harpie Lady 3!"

Cyber Twin roared, shooting two blasts out of his mouths. The first one evaporated the second Harpie Lady, before the second one got the third Harpie. (Asami & Naomi: 8000 - 5600)

"Harpie Lady 3's effect activates!" Asami declared. "Cyber Twin Dragon cannot attack until your third turn from now!"

Shin sighed. "I end it with one card, face down… sorry Yuga, I forgot about that effect."

Yuga shook his head, smiling. "No, you did the right thing. You attacked 2 first so you could eliminate 3. Even though Twin Dragon can't attack till our third turn from now, he is still a 2800 attack point monster guarding our life. On top of that, with only one monster on their field, Naomi can only summon a level 5 or 6 monster if she sacrifices."

Shin smiled a little. "Thanks, Yuga."

"Don't thank me." Yuga said, smiling. "You're the one who made that great play."

"It's my turn now." Naomi declared, drawing a card. "Sadly, Yuga, you thought I was tribute summoning… but I'm not. I play Polymerization from my hand, to fuse together my Lunalight Blue Cat and Lunalight Purple Butterfly from my hand. Blue cat that prowls through the darkness, butterfly with violet poison, spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon!"

Yuga gasped. "She's a fusion user?"

Shin sighed. "Right… I forgot she used Lunalight Fusions…"

"Come to me, beautiful beast that dances in the light of the moon! Lunalight Cat Dancer! (2400/2000)"

The students watching the duel gasped in awe as Naomi's monster appeared on the field. Applause broke out in the classroom as Himura smiled. "My, my, well like I said before this is the most talented applicants we've seen. Two fusion users in the freshman class duking it out with powerful fusion monsters. What a show."

 _Naomi's good._ Ruka thought. _But her monster only has 2400 attack points… unless._

"I now activate Black Pendent!" Naomi declared. "With its effect, I equip it onto my Cat Dancer and she gains 500 attack points. (Lunalight Cat Dancer: 2400/2000 - 2900/2000) Now, my Cat Dancer, attack Cyber Twin Dragon!"

"Not so fast!" Shin declared. "I activate my trap, Negate Attack! It automatically ends your battle phase and cancels your attack."

Namoi hissed a little ( **like a cat… get it… I'll shut up now** ). "I place one card face down, switch Asami's Harpie Lady 1 to defense mode, and end my turn."

Yuga smirked. "That was a great move… now let's see what I can do. I draw! I now place the scale 2 OafDragon Magician and the Scale 8 Dragonpit Magician into my Pendulum Zones! Next, I pendulum summon Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in attack mode! (2500/2000)"

Some of the kids in the class began muttering to themselves on Yuga's play. Vince among them. "Why did he do that?"

Roku turned to him. "Because Pendulum Monsters have certain effects, and we're about to see Yuga use one of them."

"I activate the field spell card Sky Iris! With this field spell, you can't target Magician pendulum monsters in my pendulum zones for card effects. Next, I activate the Pendulum effect of Dragonpit Magician. Because I got another Magician in my Pendulum Zone, I can discard a pendulum monster from my hand to destroy one spell or trap on the field. I discard my Nobledragon Magician to destroy Black Pendent!"

The spell card exploded. Naomi hissed. "Black Pendent's effect activates. Whenever it is destroyed, 500 damage is inflicted onto my opponent's life points." (Yuga & Shin: 8000 - 7500; Lunalight Cat Dancer: 2900/2000 - 2400/2000)

"I attack your Lunalight Cat Dancer with my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuga declared.

"I activate the face down card, Fire Formation – Tensen!" Naomi declared. "Until the end of this turn, a Beast-Warrior on my side of the field gains 700 attack points! On top of that, it has a second continuous effect. Until it is destroyed, any Beast-Warrior I control gains 300 attack points. (Lunalight Cat Dancer: 2400/2000 - 3100/2000 - 3400/2000) "Destroy his Odd-Eyes!"

Lunalight Cat Dancer charged right through Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's attack and sliced the Dragon in half, destroying it. (Yuga & Shin: 7500 - 6600)

"I'll end my turn there." Yuga said. "At this time, your Cat Dancer's attack decreases." (Lunalight Cat Dancer: 3400/2000 - 2700/2000)

 _True, but the second effect of Fire Formation is in place._ Shin thought. _Therefore, any Beast-Warrior she summons will get an additional 300 attack points._

"My turn!" Asami declared, drawing a card. She then looked at Naomi for a while, until Naomi nodded. Asami then held up the card she drew. "I activate Ties of the Brethern! I pay 2000 life points (Asami & Naomi: 5600 - 3600) to summon two monsters from my hand or deck with the same type, attribute and level as the monster on my field. I summon Harpie Channeler (1400/1300) and Harpie Dancer (1200/1000) from my deck. Now, I overlay my Harpie Lady 1 with Channeler and Dancer!"

"Wait, you're Xyz Summoning? Why didn't you do that before when you had your three Harpie Ladies out?" Shin asked.

Asami then sweat dropped. "I… forgot I could." Everyone looked at her baffled. Asami scratched her check and giggled, but then got serious again and continued her turn. "Loyal servant of the Harpie Lady, come to the call of your master! Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Harpie's Pet Phantasmel Dragon! (2000/2500)"

"That's a sweet move, but Cyber Twin Dragon is stronger still." Yuga noted.

"Don't forget, thanks to Harpie Lady 3, your Cyber Twin cannot attack until two of your turns from now. Plus, my dragon has a trick up his sleeve. See, as long as he has Xyz Material, he can attack your life points directly! Now, Harpie's Dragon, attack them directly! (Yuga & Shin: 6600 - 4600) Now, I place once card facedown and end my turn. At the end of our turns, my Dragon has an overlay unit removed from him, so he's down to two."

 _This is not good._ Shin thought. _Not only can Cyber Twin Dragon not attack until I go again, but her dragon can attack directly every turn until it runs out of units. I have to destroy that dragon!_ "My turn!" Shin said, drawing. "I use the pendulum scale to pendulum summon my Yellow Gadget (1200/1200) and Green Gadget (1400/600) from my hand. And thanks to their special abilities, I can add a Green Gadget and Red Gadget from my deck to my hand. Next, I overlay my Yellow and Green Gadgets! Gear soldier of the earth, appear on this battle field and lend me your power. Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Gear Gigant X! (2300/1500)"

"Ah, I see Shin can also Xyz Summon, bravo!" Himura said, impressed.

"Gear Gigant X, attack Harpie's Dragon!" Shin commanded.

"I activate the trap card, Shift!" Asami said. "It forces your monster to attack a different monster that I choose, and I choose Naomi's Cat Dancer! Now, your Gear Gigant X attacks Car Dancer instead!"

Shin growled. "And because Cat Dancer has 2700 attack, my Gear is destroyed! (Yuga and Shin: 4600 - 4200) Sorry, Yuga."

Yuga shook his head. "Don't worry about it Shin, we still got this!"

Shin nodded sadly. "I end my turn."

Naomi nodded, stepping up to the terminal and drawing a card. "Good, now I think it's time we destroy that Cyber Twin Dragon. I play Polymerization, to fuse my Lunalight Cat Dancer with the Lunalight White Rabbit in my hand!"

"With this move, she'll have no more cards in her hand!" Ruka noted.

"It shouldn't matter if what she's doing works." Roku stated.

"The beautiful beast dancing in the moonlight, the lively white rabbit illuminated by moonlight, swarm in the vortex of the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Elegant beast dancing in the moonlit wilderness! Lunalight Panther Dancer! (2800/2500) And let's not forget, because Fire Formation Tensen is still in play, my Panther gains 300 attack points. (Lunalight Panther Dancer: 2800/2500 - 3100/2500)"

"Uh oh, you might want to brace yourself for this one." Yuga muttered.

"Panther Dancer, attack Cyber Twin Dragon now!" Naomi commanded. Panther Dancer charged forward, and with a swipe of his mightly claws, destroyed Cyber Twin Dragon. (Yuga & Shin: 4200 - 3900) "Now, Harpie's Dragon, direct attack! (Yuga & Shin: 3900 - 1900) I'll end my turn there."

"They're toast." Vince muttered to himself. "There's no way that they're going to make a comeback now. On Asami's turn, she'll just attack with that Harpie Dragon even if Yuga summons a monster."

"It's not over until the final life point is depleted." Ruka said. "Yuga could do something to turn this around for all we know."

But Shin seemed to agree with Vince, because he collapsed onto his knees and sighed. "It's over. We lost."

Yuga, however, stepped forward. "It's not over yet. Now it's my turn!"

Shin looked up at Yuga with sad eyes. "But…"

"But nothing, Shin." Yuga declared, drawing his card. "Now stand up!" Shin did so as Yuga looked at his card, smiling. "Alright, first I activate the pendulum effect of OafDragon Magician. If I got another magician in my pendulum zone, I can add one pendulum monster from my Extra Deck to my hand. I choose Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Now, I activate Dragonpit Magician's pendulum effect! Once per turn, by discarding a pendulum monster, I can destroy a spell or trap card on your field. I discard Odd-Eyes to destroy Fire Formation Tensen!"

"That means Lunalight Panther Dancer's attack is down to its original value!" Naomi said in shock. (Lunalight Panther Dancer: 3100/2500 - 2800/2500)

"But why do that?" Ruka asked.

"Because Yuga plans on creating a stalemate." Roku noted.

Yuga nodded. "Next, I activate Summoner's Art! I can now add one Level 5 or higher normal monster from my hand, and I choose Metaphys Armed Dragon (2800/1000), and then I pendulum summon him! Now my dragon, attack Harpie's Dragon!" Metaphys roared, letting out a sonic blast that destroyed Asami's dragon. (Asami & Naomi: 3600 - 2800) "I'll end my turn there."

Asami frowned as she drew her card. "Alright, you'll pay for that. I draw!" She looked at it, then smiled. "Alright, Yuga, I activate Malevolent Nuzzler!"

"Uh, come again?" Yuga asked.

"Malevolent Nuzzler. This equip spell card increases one monster's attack power by 700 points." Asami declared. "And I choose to equip it onto Lunalight Panther Dancer! (Lunalight Panther Dancer: 2800/2500 - 3500/2500) Now, attack Yuga's dragon!" The Panther roared, slashing through the air with his sharp claws, obliterating Yuga's monster. (Yuga & Shin: 1900 - 1200) "I end my turn there."

Shin sighed, knowing it was his turn now. "Oh man, here we go." He then drew his card, and gasped, staring at it. "Oh no… I can't use this… I can't…"

Yuga looked at Shin confused. "Huh? Why not?"

Shin lowered his voice to a whisper. "Yuga… it's that card… the one by brother used…"

"Overload Fusion?" Yuga whispered back.

"Shin, you got one minute to make your move!" Himura announced.

Shin looked back at Yuga. "Uh huh… I can't use this… not after what happened that day…"

Yuga smiled. "Shin, you aren't your brother, and that card may have been used by your brother in a cruel way, but just because he used it like that doesn't mean you using that card means you're instantly evil."

"But…" Shin muttered, looking at the card scared.

"Thirty seconds!" Himura announced.

"You can do it, Shin!" Yuga encouraged. "Play that card and prove everyone in the classroom that it's not that card that counts, but the duelist that plays it."

"Fifteen seconds!"

Shin looked at the card a bit longer, then looked up at Yuga, nodding. "Okay." He turned back to the duel terminal. "Alright, my turn begins now, and this duel ends here too! First, I pendulum summon Green Gadget and Red Gadget using Yuga's Pendulum Monsters! Next, I activate Overload Fusion!" Everyone in the room except Yuga and Shin gasped. Shin looked down. "Yeah, I know… the same card my brother used… but just because this card is the same one that he used doesn't mean I am evil. My brother and I just share similar cards, that's all. It's not the card that counts, but the duelist! Now, I banish the Green Gadget and Red Gadget on my field, as well as from my graveyard: the two Cyber Dragons, Cyber Twin Dragon, Yellow Gadget, Green Gadget, and Gear Gigant X!"

All the monsters appeared on Shin's field one after the other as he announced them, then they all swirled together and seemed to explode as they did.

"Overwhelming machine of unstoppable might, I call upon your amazing power in this duel. FUSION SUMMON! Level 9, Chimeratech Overdragon! (0/0)" Shin chanted. "And now, his effect kicks in. For every machine I banished to summon him, he gains 800 attack points. Since I banished 8 machines, he gains 6400 attack and defense points. (Chimeratech Overdragon: 0/0 - 6400/6400) Additionally, because I used 8 machines to fusion summon him, he can attack 8 times… but I will only use one. I am not my brother, I do not lay waste to everything in front of me. I only need one attack, so I am only using one attack. Now, Chimeratech Overdargon, attack Lunalight Panther Dancer!"

The dragon roared, and only one of its heads fired a blast of light, obliterating Lunalight Panther Dancer. (Asami & Naomi: 2800 - 0)

Yuga & Shin Win!

Himura stood up and started clapping. "Congratulations to Yuga and Shin for the win, but Asami and Naomi did an incredible job as well." The entire class (minus Vince) stood and applauded. Asami and Naomi smiled at Yuga and Shin, who were both laughing as they bowed, and in Shin's case blushing in embarrassment, but still happy. "Now, that is all for today's class, but for homework I want you guys to write a one page summery on what you learned in today's duel, and how these guys used each other's monsters and cards to summon their own."

"Finally, that's over." Vince said, standing up to leave.

"Vince, sit down, you're staying after class remember!" Himura shouted. Vince groaned as the class laughed.

XxXxXxX

"I'm proud of you, Shin!" Yuga said as he and the others were walking in the hallway.

Shin smiled. "It was thanks to you, Yuga! You encouraged me and stood by me the entire time."

"Don't forget to give yourself some credit as well." Roku noted. "What you didn't wasn't easy."

 _That's right, it wasn't easy._ Shin thought. _But I finally see now, that just because my brother and I use similar decks, and we share the family name, doesn't mean I am going to be like him. I am Shin Kenyo… and with my own strength, I will become a great duelist!_


	8. Glare of Red-Eyes

**Before this chapter begins, I just wanted to say I did this chapter's duel as a mock duel in DevPro, so that's why it seems... odd. At least to me it seems a little odd... meh, as well. Onto thanking the reviewers!**

 **suppes1: Yup, Yuga should get some Extra Deck monsters soon -hides away the desk list for Yuga so no one sees it-**

 **D3lph0xL0v3r: Yeah Vince is a jerk, but hey that's how he's written to be! Just realized I seem really good at writing douche characters... what does that say about me?**

 **Anyway, thank you everyone for reading this story! Enjoy this next chapter!**

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"And remember class, stretch properly before taking part in an Action Duel." Ms. Kato was saying, as the bell rang signaling the end of Gym Class. "Don't forget students, Homecoming begins next week. There's going to be all sorts of fun activities to do during the upcoming week, including the dance on Saturday!"

"Homecoming?" Shin asked the group after they had all changed and started heading back to the dorms. "What's that?"

"The dueling team has been having all of their recent matches away from Union." Ruka explained. "So this week is them coming back to Union for a home duel."

"Essentially, it's a pointless celebration of them 'coming home', even though they just traveled to partake in their duels before coming back here for classes and all that." Roku noted.

"Aww, come on, guys! Homecoming is fun!" Asami said. "You got the parade, each day has an activity taking place, and then there's the Homecoming Duel on Friday and the dance on Saturday!"

"Dance!?" Both Yuga and Shin asked, stunned.

"Aww man…" Shin sighed. "I can't dance to save my butt. I went to the middle school dance once, and it turned out awful."

"It doesn't have to this time." Naomi noted. "I was thinking, maybe we can all just go as a group?"

Everyone smiled at the thought, and even Shin seemed excited about it. "That's a good idea, Naomi!"

"It takes the pressure off of finding a date, especially since everyone seems to think you have to go with a date." Ruka noted, sighing as she noticed a certain guy walking over. "Speaking of people like that…"

"H-hey, Ruka." Vince stammered. "I was thinking…"

"No." Ruka instantly said. "I know you wanna ask me to the dance, and the answer is a solid no. I already got plans for Homecoming, and they don't involve you."

"Aww come on, baby." Vince said.

Ruka glared at Vince, cutting through his soul. "First of all, don't ever call me baby ever again. Second, you're a jerk! I wouldn't go with you if I was paid to! And third, I got plans for homecoming already… come on, guys."

Ruka began leading the group away, leaving Vince looking after them with a crushed look.

"Aww come on, he's not that bad." Asami noted, looking back at him. "I was actually thinking of…"

Ruka glared at her blue haired roommate. "If you were going to end that with 'invite him to our group for Homecoming', then please don't. I don't get what you see in him, Asami. I know you think he's hot, which he isn't, but the way he acts is… awful. He is a jerk to Shin and Yuga, as well as everyone else in the school! He's only nice to me because… well, I dunno why he is nice to me!"

"You're the most beautiful girl in school, and you're especially going to look it in a dress." Asami said, sighing.

"I am not!" Ruka shot at her. "Tell her, Yuga!" But said friend was spacing out trying to imagine her in a dress with a big blush on his face, leaving Ruka to blush and simply groan in frustration.

"It's Naomi's plan, so I can't invite him, that's rude." Asami said. "I was going to suggest to Naomi that maybe we do invite him though… who knows, maybe underneath that hard heart is a big softie."

Ruka let out a sarcastic laugh. "Doubt it."

Back with Vince, he was staring after the six friends. He then noticed Yuga blushing, and Ruka shortly after blush as well. His eyes went wide and he let out a growl. "That Yuga… Ruka must be going to Homecoming with him! Well, not on my watch!"

The entire weekend and well into next week was spent by Vince attempting to woo over Ruka with flowers, candy, and pretty much anything you could think of at high school to try and get a girlfriend, but it was useless on the green haired girl, as her dislike towards the redhead bully was too powerful to just be overcome. Finally, after a Thursday spent in classes, Ruka was ready before Vince could even ask her. "The answer is no, and I don't care what you stole this time to try and impress me."

"I didn't steal anything." Vince sighed, lowering his arms that were filled with anything you could imagine. He then noticed all of Ruka's friends there, unlike most of the other attempts where she was alone. His then glared at Yuga, throwing down the items in a fit of rage. "YOU!"

Yuga was stunned. "Me? What about me?"

"You stole her from me!" Vince screamed in anger. "If there's a thief around here, it's you!"

Everyone looked at Vince in stunned silence, but Asami suddenly let out a gasp. "Oh, I see what's going on here! Vince thinks Yuga is your date to homecoming and wants to steal you away from him! How romantic…"

Ruka glared at Asami for what seemed like the hundredth time this week. "First of all, I don't see how stealing someone away from someone else is romantic, and second of all…" Ruka turned to Vince, sighing in frustration. "Vince, I'm not going with just Yuga. We are going as a group of friends. Me, Yuga, Shin, Naomi, Roku and Asami. Nothing date like, at all."

Vince, however, kept on glaring at Yuga. "You're making her lie to cover up your date? What a coward!"

Naomi stepped forward at this. "Vince, it's not a lie. In fact, I was the one who thought up the idea…"

"Duel me, Yuga!" Vince suddenly screamed, pointing right at Yuga.

"Wait, what?" Everyone instantly asked.

"You heard me! Duel me and prove you are man enough for Ruka!" Vince declared, taking out a red duel pad and placing it on his arm, a black energy blade coming out of it.

"Oh for the love of crap, Vince this is stupid." Ruka groaned. "I'm a human being! I'm not some prize for you to win, and even if you two did duel and you did win, I wouldn't go with you anyway. My plans wouldn't change."

"I don't buy any of this bull." Vince said, glaring at Yuga more intensely. "You and I are dueling and there is no way out of this!"

Ruka sighed in defeat. "Oh fine, kick his ass, Yuga!"

Yuga blinked a few times, before looking over at Ruka. "I thought you said dueling him was pointless?"

"It is." Ruka said, glaring back at Vince. "But if it'll shut him up, then just do it."

Yuga then shrugged. "Well, alright then. I've wanted to duel Vince for awhile, anyway!" He took out his duel pad and put it on his arm. He and Vince jumped away from each other a good distance as everyone else walked to the side of the field to observe the duel.

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Vince: 4000

"I'll start." Vince said. "And I'll begin by activating Dragon's Shrine!"

"What's that do?" Yuga instantly asked.

"I'm obviously going to explain it, moron!" Vince hissed. "I get to send one dragon type monster from my deck to the grave. Additionally, if I send a monster that happens to be a Normal Monster, meaning it has no effect in case you fell asleep in that class, I can send an additional monster from my deck to the grave."

"And why would he do that?" Shin asked, confused.

"Vince could want monsters in his grave for many reasons." Roku stated. "Special summoning them is most likely."

Vince grinned, searching through his deck. He then pulled out a card, looking at Yuga. "Have you ever heard of this legend? There was a dragon created that was said to be as powerful as the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon, if used by a duelist that could being out its true potential."

"You don't mean…" Yuga said, stunned.

Vince smiled, turning the card so Yuga could see it. "I'm surprised that you paid attention in that part of Dueling History, Yuga! That's right, it's the Red-Eyes Black Dragon! I send him to my graveyard, so I get to remove another monster from my deck and add it to my grave. I send this one, The Black Stone of Legend!"

"I've never heard of that card." Yuga muttered.

"Well now you have." Vince declared. "You're about to see the true power of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

Ruka blinked in stunned silence. "You think Vince can actually use that dragon to its full power?"

"We're going to find out." Roku muttered.

"I hope Yuga will be okay." Shin groaned.

Yuga was more than okay. In fact, he was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh wow, it's only the first turn and this duel is awesome! I can't believe I am going to be going up against the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon! How did you acquire his cards? They're all super rare! Wanna trade for it!?"

"No, I don't want to trade!" Vince shouted. "And as for how I got him, you can thank my connections."

 _Probably rich relatives._ Everyone instantly thought.

"Now, before I get distracted anymore, I'll activate the effect of the Black Stone of Legend in my grave." Vince declared. "When my stone in my graveyard with a Red-Eyes monster, I can send that monster back to my deck, to add the Black Stone of Legend to my hand."

"Careful." Ruka said to Yuga. "That stone seems to be capable of more than just that."

"Very observant my princess." Vince said, causing Ruka to fume in anger. "Now, I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 4! (1600/1000)" A silver looking bird appeared on Vince's field. "And I'll end my turn there."

"Level 4?" Shin asked.

"Horus is a special kind of monster that can level up depending on if certain requirements are met." Roku explained.

"He has two additional levels beyond 4, 6 and 8." Naomi farther stated. "They're summoned automatically at the end of the turn they destroy a monster in battle."

"Well he won't even get past level 4." Yuga declared, drawing a card. "My turn! I place the scale 5 Wisdom-Eye Magician and the scale 8 Dragonpit Magician into my pendulum zones! Next, I activate Wisdom-Eye's effect. By destroying her, I can place any other Magician monster into my pendulum zone in her place, and I choose the scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician!"

"Nice, that way Yuga can Pendulum Summon level 2 to 7 monsters at the same time!" Shin stated.

"Now, I Pendulum summon the previously destroyed Wisdom-Eye Magician (1500/1500) and Timegazer Magician (1200/600) from my hand in defense mode!" Yuga stated. "Now, I did have another Magician I could've Pendulum Summoned, but like I said, I wasn't going to let that Horus level up. I activate Dragonpulse Magician's pendulum effect. By discarding a pendulum monster, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field. I discard the second Wisdom-Eye Magician I have in my hand, so I can destroy Horus!" At once, upon Yuga discarding the monster, Dragonpulse waved his lance in the pendulum zone and Horus roared before exploding. "I'll end my turn there!"

Shin raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why didn't Yuga summon his monsters in attack mode to deal damage?"

"I guess to protect his life points while seeing what Vince was going to do." Roku stated. "After all, Vince wields the Red-Eyes, Yuga needs to be careful in this duel."

"But Yuga can destroy the Red-Eyes with Dragonpulse's ability." Naomi stated.

Roku shrugged. "Perhaps Yuga doesn't want to rely on always drawing Pendulum Monsters to fuel that effect."

"My turn now, punk!" Vince stated, drawing a card. "Alright, I summon the Black Stone of Legend! (0/0) And now, I activate his effect! By tributing my stone, I can summon a level 7 or lower Red-Eyes monster from my deck, and I choose the one… Red-Eyes Black Dragon! (2400/2000)"

The black dragon appeared on Vince's field from the black looking egg stone, roaring in anger and sending shockwaves everywhere just by his roar alone. Yuga looked up at his opponent's monster in awe. "So that's what a Red-Eyes Black Dragon looks like up close."

Vince grinned evilly. "You aren't going to enjoy this moment much longer. I now equip my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with this… my Black Metal Dragon!"

Yuga's eyes widened a little. "Hold on… that's a monster!"

"Yes, and its effect allows me to equip it onto a Red-Eyes monster I control, and add its attack points to my Red-Eyes, and I count a solid 600 attack points, which means my Red-Eyes Black Dragon now has 3000 attack points! (Red-Eyes B. Dragon: 2400/2000 - 3000/2000)"

"So that's what they meant…" Ruka said, looking at Vince's dragon. "…about the potential of the Red-Eyes equaling the Blue-Eyes."

"It gets worse." Rokuu said. "That card isn't the only version of Red-Eyes out there. Red-Eyes Black Dragon has several evolved and alternate forms that Vince could summon and use."

"Red-Eyes, attack Yuga's Timegazer Magician!" Vince commanded. Red-Eyes roared and send out a stream of red fire, obliterating Yuga's magician instantly. "I end my turn."

Yuga smirked, drawing a card. "My turn now! And lucky me, I got a Pendulum Monster. I discard my Stargazer Magician to destroy Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"NO! Vince roared in rage, watching as his dragon exploded like Horus did earlier, leaving his field empty. "Black Metal Dragon's effect activates. Because he was sent from my graveyard to the field, I can add one 'Red-Eyes' card from my deck to my hand."

"Any Red-Eyes card!?" Yuga asked.

"Any." Vince said, smirking. "But I think I'll add Red-Eyes Burn, a trap card."

 _Hate to see what that does._ Yuga thought. "I switch Widsom-Eye Magician to attack mode, and Pendulum Summon Timegazer Magician back to my field, also in attack mode! Now, attack my monsters!" Both magicians sent out waves of energy, striking Vince and depleting his life. (Vince: 4000 - 2500 - 1300) "I'll end my turn there."

Ruka smiled. "Vince is down to 1300 life. One more attack from Wisdom-Eye and he losses the duel."

Roku, however, narrowed his eyes. _Something tells me it's not that easy, sister._

Vince drew his card. "I draw, place two cards facedown, then activate Black Stone's effect. I take Red-Eyes Black Dragon and add him to my deck, then add Back Stone to my hand… and then end my turn."

 _One of those is Red-Eyes Burn, but that look, and not summoning the stone in defense… is he… giving up?_ Yuga though, drawing his card. "Okay… Timegazer Magician, attack Vince's life points directly!"

"Why, he can end the duel with a Wisdom-Eye attack?" Shin asked, as Timegazer charged forward and cut through Vince. (Vince: 1300 - 100)

"Alright, no traps! Wisdom-Eye, attack Vince directly and end this duel!" Yuga said.

"That's why!" Naomi shouted as Wisdom-Eye charged next. "To make sure there wasn't a trap."

Vince, however, then smirked. "But there was a trap! Activate, Fiendish Chain! This trap immobilizes your monster, and makes it so it cannot attack!"

Roku shook his head. "No, there was a trap, Vince just wanted to target the right monster."

Ruka sighed. "But he's down to 100 life points, and he took a big risk by playing like that. If Yuga had summoned another monster, this duel would be over right now."

Asami narrowed her eyes. "Either he had no other move… or he played into Yuga's mind, targeting his overconfidence."

Yuga hissed in frustration. "Alright, I end my turn!"

Vince smirked. "I didn't play my stone… so I can do this!" He draw this card, then began laughing. "Alright, it's here! First I summon Black Stone of Legend, and tribute him to summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck! Now… I tribute him… to summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (2400/2000) from my hand!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon roared as he was surrounded by darkness. The roar then got deeper and more powerful as the darkness vanished. Red-Eyes had morphed, gaining some red glowing designs on his body and evil looking wings. "Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon's effect. For every Dragon type monster in my grave, Darkness Dragon gains 300 attack points! And with 4 dragons, that's 1200 attack points! (Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon: 2400/2000 - 3600/2000)" **(A/N: In case you weren't keeping track: Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 4, Black Metal Dragon, The Black Stone of Legend, and Red-Eyes B. Dragon)**

"No way!" Yuga expressed, staring in awe at the dragon.

"This is what Vince was planning all long." Roku said. "To summon that creature."

"Darkness Dragon, attack Timegazer Magician now!" Vince commanded. Red-Eyes Darkness roared, sending out a stream of black and red fire, destroying Yuga's magician (Yuga: 4000 - 1600). "I end my turn."

 _I have to either draw a Pendulum Monster, or a powerful trap._ Yuga thought to himself, drawing a card, but not getting what he needed. He grit his teeth before making his move. "I Pendulum Summon Timegazer back in defense mode, switch Wisdom-Eye to defense mode, and end my turn."

"That's all you can do!" Vince yelled, drawing another card. "I summon the Black Stone of Legend!"

"But wait." Shin muttered. "Isn't that card in his graveyard?"

"You really think I only got one Black Stone of Legend in my deck?" Vince asked, glaring at Shin. "No, but you know what I'm going to do now. I use its power to summon a Red-Eyes that's level 7 or lower, this time I'll summon a different Red-Eyes; the Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! (2400/2000)"

A slightly different Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared on the field, with red under the wings and a slimmer, more pronounced scaled body.

"Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon?" Ruka asked.

"A Gemini Monser version of Red-Eyes Black Dragon." Roku stated. "Or simply put, an alternate form of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

"What's a Gemini Monster?" Naomi asked.

"A monster with a very powerful effect, but it needs to be Gemini Summoned to activate it." Roku explained. "A Gemini Summon is performed by using your Normal Summon on it when said monster is already on the field. The bad news is that Vince can do this next turn, and even though Red-Eyes Flare is a level 7 monster, there is no sacrifices needed for a Gemini Summon."

"And while you losers are digesting that, I'll explain Flare Dragon's effect." Vince mocked. "See, if he is in a battle, he can automatically burn your life points for 2400 damage after the Battle Phase is over!"

"Say what?" Yuga expressed, shocked.

"That's one deadly effect." Asami muttered, clearly impressed.

"That's why it's a Gemini Monster." Roku explained. "Gemini Monsters have very deadly and dangerous effects, and Flare Dragon's is quite possibly the worst for Yuga, as Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon can burn through his life points even when Yuga is defending."

"So Yuga's normal stall tactics won't work against Flare." Ruka said, looking at Yuga in worry.

"And that's not all, because another Dragon Type monster, my Stone of Legend, is in the graveyard, my Darkness Dragon gains 300 more attack points! (Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon: 3600/2000 - 3900/2000) Now, Darkness Dragon, destroy his Timegazer. Red-Eyes Flare Dragon, destroy his Wisdom-Eye!" Vince's two dragons roared, sending out their streams of fire and blasting Yuga's monsters. "It's over! On my next turn, I'll Gemini Summon Flare Dragon and destroy the rest of your life points!"

Yuga growled, looking down at his deck. _Oh man, do I need a miracle… alright deck, don't let me down._ Yuga drew his card, and upon looking at it, broke out into a smile. "I place one card facedown, then Pendulum Summon back Wisdom-Eye and Timegazer, and end my turn!"

Shin groaned in disappointment. "What? That's it!?"

Roku smirked. "Hang on, that face down might be the answer Yuga was looking for."

 _Come on, Vince._ Yuga thought to himself. _Gemini Summon your monster, it counts as a normal summon. Or you can just normal summon a different monster. Doesn't matter to me._

"That's pathetic, it's my turn." Vince declared, drawing a card and smirking at it. "Better yet, I won't Gemini Summon. Instead, I'll destroy you with a different tactic, a direct attack! I summon my second Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 4!"

Yuga smirked. "Big mistake, but I knew you'd summon either way. I activate the trap card, Torrential Tribute! When you summon a monster, all monsters on the field are instantly destroyed!"

Vince widened his eyes in shock. "WHAT!?" A wave of water washed over the field, sweeping every monster with it.

"Since Vince cannot summon anymore monsters, all Yuga has to do is attack with a 100 attack or higher monster next turn and he'll win!" Ruka exclaimed.

"And since his pendulum monsters go to the extra deck, he can just use them!" Asami said.

Vince growled in anger as the water rushed around him, destroying his monsters. "I'm taking you with me, Yuga! Activate trap card, Red-Eyes Burn! When a Red-Eyes monster I control is destroyed, we both take damage equal to its original attack points! I choose Darkness!"

The trap card exploded, knocking both Yuga and Vince back with shock waves of energy. (Yuga: 1600 - 0; Vince: 100 - 0)

Draw

"Wait, so it was a draw?" Naomi asked.

Roku nodded. "The trap that Vince pulled earlier with Black Metal Dragon's effect. Vince didn't want to end the duel with his loss, so the only thing he could do was make it a draw."

"So does Ruka have to go with him to the dance or not?" Asami asked.

"Moron, of course I don't." Ruka said, crossing her arms. "Like I said before, I didn't plan on going with Vince even if Yuga lost."

"I can't believe I drawed with you, let alone almost lost." Vince growled at Yuga. "It's embarrassing."

Yuga shot a glare back. "What do you mean by that?"

Vince huffed in anger. "As far as I'm concerned, this duel doesn't count. We'll settle this for real, sooner or later. In the meantime, have fun at the stupid dance."

Yuga and the others watched as he stomped away, each shocked that Vince didn't try to make another move. Shin was the first to speak. "So wait, he no longer wants to go with Ruka?"

"I think the thought of almost losing to Yuga shocked him too much." Roku said. "Vince is a sore loser, after all."

Ruka sighed in relief. "At least that's over with, now we can plan out the dance."

Yuga paled. "That reminds me… I have to shop for appropriate clothes. Probably the only one, huh?"

Roku laughed. "No I have to as well, I don't usually do dances or formal things."

"Me too." Shin admitted.

"So the boys aren't prepared. Figures…" Asami said, chuckling. "We girls are, but we can take you to the mall tomorrow before the big duel if you want."

So with their plan in motion, the boys agreed to meet the girls after class tomorrow, each one with their own excitement as well as worries about the dance that was soon to come.


	9. The Homecoming Dance

**Holy cow, I've gotten so many reviews since I posted Chapter 8! Thank you everyone who has reviewed, and like before I will be directly responding in the authors notes here... However, I will only be replying to Chapter 8 reviews directly, though I got some things to say before this chapter begins.**

 **D3lph0xL0v3r: Thank you very much! I am glad you are enjoying the story!**

 **Komori Rias: Thank you for all your reviews! I'll take your suggestion about not putting authors notes directly in the story, and just leaving them for the beginning and end of the stories :) Sadly though, no mall chapter, couldn't really think of a mall plot. I blame the evilness know as college for draining my brain.**

 **Guest (Natalie): Yuga might have a dark side. I don't wanna exactly make it like Arc-V berserk state, so not too sure how I would do it if I decided to implement it into the story.**

 **Guest (Martyn): You read Yuga's mind!**

 **Anyway, this chapter is not too bad to write. Like I said before, originally I was also going to make a chapter about the mall trip, but I decided not to because I couldn't really think of an interesting plot revolving around shopping. Therefore, I went straight to the Homecoming Dance chapter! (And before you ask, I cut out the school duel as well because... well, it's said in the chapter)**

 **Song lyrics are in Bold and Italics. Disclaimer: The song that I use in this chapter is called "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler. I do not own this song. Copyright 1988 by Atlantic record labels.**

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"I hate ties." Yuga muttered. It was Saturday, and the dance was in just twenty minutes. Shin and Yuga were in their room, both putting on their outfits for the evening. Yuga had on a black suit with a white undershirt and a purple tie, while Shin had on a black suit with a white undershirt and a blue tie. Both of them were currently fettling with the ties, trying to get them looking just right for the dance.

"At least we can get ready quickly." Shin noted. "The girls have been sealed in their room for three hours getting ready for this dance, where we started getting ready 40 minutes ago."

"Seriously, how much time do girls need?" Yuga asked.

Shin shrugged, then wondered something, turning to Yuga. "Hey, why did you agree to this? You don't seem like a dancer type."

Yuga laughed a little. "You don't either, bro. I'll tell you my reason if you tell me yours."

Shin smirked. "Okay, lay it on me!"

"Free food!" Yuga cheered, which Shin practically fell over at the response. "Plus I get to see my friends! I didn't have any before I came here. So, what about you?"

"Well…" Shin said, blushing. "I-I went because it was Naomi's idea."

Yuga smiled but said nothing. There was a sharp knock on the door, and Shin hurried to answer it to avoid Yuga seeing his blushing face. Standing there was Roku, wearing a pure white suit with a black undershirt and a white tie.

"Everything is white with you, isn't it?" Yuga asked, raising an eyebrow.

Roku ignored this, looking at Yuga and Shin respectively. "I told the girls we'd meet them downstairs, so if you're done…"

"Not really." Yuga muttered, still adjusting this tie. "I can't get this thing to lie right."

Roku sighed, walking over to Yuga and helping him with the tie. It took Roku only about five seconds to get the tie looking perfect, before he turned to help Shin with his as well. "You guys never learned how to tie ties?"

"The orphanage didn't have too many formal events." Yuga noted.

"My parents or brother never taught me." Shin stated, as Roku finished with his tie as well.

Roku looked at both of them, nodding. "Alright, let's go downstairs."

"Where is the dance anyway?" Yuga asked, following Roku and Shin out the door.

"It's in the Gym." Shin stated. "But most people are meeting up in the dorm lobby before heading over there, so they can walk there with the dates and all that."

They got to the lobby fairly quickly to find many of their fellow male classmates were already there, waiting for the girls to come down. Yuga noticed that most of the guys opted for a similar look, black suits with white undershirts and a tie of either a color they liked or a color matching their hair or eyes. Roku stood out, being the only one in a white suit as far as Yuga saw. Yuga looked around some more, noticing Vince and his gang were also there, though they didn't look too happy to be there. Vince was wearing a black suit, but he stuck out because he wore a red undershirt instead of a white undershirt, and also wore a black tie.

"Even Vince showed up." Yuga pointed out.

"I guess they don't have dates or anyone else to go with." Shin noted, looking at Vince and his crew. "They seem a little irritated."

"They didn't have to go if they didn't want. With the way Vince acted on Thursday, I'm surprised he's here." Roku stated.

"According to a classmate I talked to, he decided to go after all during the school duel. Something about keeping an eye on someone." Shin stated.

"I hated that we had to miss that." Yuga moaned. "Stupid shopping... that took forever to do, and the employees there kept making us try on different suits that all looked the same!"

Roku rolled his eyes at Yuga's rant, before turning to the stairs leading to the upstairs of the girl's side of the dorms. "Ah, seems like the girls are coming down."

What could only be described as a rainbow of dresses began coming down the stairs, each girl looking excited and trying their best to show off. It was working, as every boy in the room seemed to get nervous at the mere site of them, doing things like adjusting their ties or hair. Yuga, Shin and Roku scanned the crowd for any signs of Ruka, Naomi and Asami. Finally, Roku tugged on Yuga's arm and pointed.

They were in the middle of the sea of girls coming down the stairs, and upon seeing them, Yuga and Shin's jaws dropped. Naomi was wearing a golden dress with white gloves extending to her elbows, and yellow flat dress shoes. Asami had outdone herself, wearing blue eyeshadow, red lipstick, a blue dress with black gloves, and blue dress heels. Ruka wore a green dress with white gloves and green flat dress shoes. Yuga's eyes were for nothing but Ruka, who seemed to sparkle before him. Shin, on the other hand, was staring right at Naomi, a bright red blush forming on his face, before he ducked behind Roku.

"Hide me." Shin muttered.

Roku looked confused at him before waving so the girls can find them. As they walked over, Yuga's face began turning red, noticing that although she looked amazing from far away, nothing compared to seeing her close up.

"Hi guys!" Ruka greeted them, with Naomi giving a small smile while a blush formed on her face, clearly not comfortable with the fact she was all dressed up. Asami, on the other hand, cheered loudly, excitement rolling off her.

"Hello." Roku said, pulling Shin out from behind his back. "Shall we get going?"

Asami giggled. "I call Roku escorts me!" And just like that, she grabbed him by the arm. Roku seemed to have no reaction to this other than confusion.

"Escorts?" Ruka asked, sighing. "Asami, we're going as a group, not as dates."

"But every other girl has an escort!" Asami whined. "Come on, just to the dance at least?"

Ruka sighed, taking Yuga by the arm. "Fine." Naomi, meanwhile, had found her way to Shin and took his arm, both of them cherry red in the face, unable to look at the other. Yuga was also blushing, feeling Ruka's touch on his arm. With everyone else leaving the lobby, they began to follow the crowd that was transforming into a line. Everyone that didn't have a date merged together at the back of the line, Vince their leader, who was constantly trying to peak over the line to get a glimpse at Yuga and Ruka.

"Asami, I swear." Ruka muttered, then looked over at her escort as they stepped out of the dorm building into the dawn skied outdoors. "No offense, Yuga."

"None taken." Yuga quickly said.

"If Asami has it her way, our group is gonna dissolve into dates." Naomi said from behind them. "Just look at her." Sure enough, Yuga looked at Asami in front of them to see she was practically fused to Roku's side, resting her head on his arm as they walked.

"Doesn't she also have a crush on Vince?" Shin asked.

"I won't call it a crush." Ruka stated. "She just finds him physically attractive, and my brother mysterious since he doesn't talk all that much."

"I can hear you, you know?" Roku muttered.

They eventually arrived at the academic building, where upon entering they noticed signs and caution type blocking the hallways that didn't lead to the gym. They entered the only open hallway, passing the bathrooms and finally arriving at the gym, which had a DJ off to the far corner and tables surrounding the outer perimeter, with the center of the gym being left over to serve as a dance floor. Yuga and the others managed to nab a table with six chairs at it, taking their seats as everyone else also scrambled to find a table.

"Union Duel School!" The DJ shouted, causing the students to cheer. "We're gonna start this dance off with some sick beats!" He then began blasting music, and some of the braver kids took to the dance floor.

"Ooooo, let's go!" Asami shouted, getting up and shaking it onto the dance floor.

"Should we go to?" Shin asked.

"Might as well." Roku stated. "She'll throw a fit if we don't."

The five of them sighed before getting onto the dance floor as well. What happened next was basically 30 minutes of awkward activity. Yuga and Shin didn't really have any moves, while Roku merely stepped side to side while bobbing his head, which Yuga and Shin simply imitated after a while. The girls, however, seemed to know what they were doing, and easily were able to dance to any music the DJ decided to play.

"Alright dudes, time to grab that special girl and chill out to a slow song." He said, changing the music.

"Err, maybe we should sit down now." Roku stated, knowing they were supposed to be a group.

"Oh come on!" Asami said, grabbing him and pulling him into her arms. "Let's just keep dancing, at least for one more song!" She then briefly let go long enough to push Shin and Naomi together, before pushing Yuga and Ruka together, all four blushing as their bodies met with their dubbed partners.

"I…guess we should dance." Yuga said, blushing.

"Guess so." Ruka replied, also blushing.

 _ **It must have been cold there in my shadow,**_

 _ **To never have sunlight on your face.**_

 _ **You were content to let me shine, that's your way.**_

 _ **You always walked a step behind.**_

 _ **So I was the one with all the glory,**_

 _ **While you were the one with all the strength.**_

 _ **A beautiful face without a name for so long.**_

 _ **A beautiful smile to hide the pain.**_

 _ **Did you ever know that you're my hero,**_

 _ **And everything I would like to be?**_

 _ **I can fly higher than an eagle,**_

 _ **Cause you are the wind beneath my wings.**_

 _ **It might have appeared to go unnoticed,**_

 _ **But I've got it all here in my heart.**_

 _ **I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.**_

 _ **I would be nothing without you.**_

 _ **Did you ever know that you're my hero?**_

 _ **You're everything I wish I could be.**_

 _ **I can fly higher than an eagle,**_

 _ **Cause you are the wind beneath my wings**_

The song ended, and a blushing Yuga, Ruka, Shin and Naomi quickly muttered something about needing to take a breather from dancing before heading back to the table to sit down. Asami and Roku decided to join them, also tired from all the dancing they're been doing.

"See?" Asami asked, smiling. "Wasn't that fun?"

Mummers of 'yeah' and 'sure' the air, before Yuga stood up. "Hey, anyone want something to eat and drink? I'll get stuff from the punch table."

Everyone voted to have a drink, so both Roku and Shin volunteered to go with Yuga to the punch bowl. Ruka fanned herself with a fan from her green purse, trying to cool off and reduce the red blushing in her face. She looked out to where Yuga, Shin and Roku were headed, and as they passed the door she saw a masked figure wearing a brown trench coat and black pants with boots on. Ruka raised an eyebrow, the boys and everyone else in the room except for her not noticing the masked figure. He then slipped away from the door frame, and Ruka couldn't help but think it was very suspicious.

"I'll be right back." Ruka stated. "I need to freshen up."

"Don't take too long." Asami winked. "You don't wanna leave Yuga waiting for you."

Ruka didn't even glare this time. She ignored Asami's tease, quickly ducking out of the gym and began heading down the hallway until she reached the main lobby. Here, she noticed the hallway across from the one leading to the gym no longer had its tape up, and it was down on the ground as though ripped off. Ruka continued on past the now broken tape till she reached the end of the hallway, where a single elevator was there. She looked up at the top of the elevator doors to see the current floor it was on, and it was up on level 10, the top floor.

She pressed the button, and slowly the numbers on top of the door began to light up as another went out, indicating the elevator was coming down to the first floor. After some time, the doors opened and Ruka stepped into the elevator, and pressed 10 on the button panel, which unlike the other floors which read "classrooms 100-150 and gym", "classrooms 200-250" and so on, this one only read "labs". The elevator began ascending, and Ruka pulled out her duel pad from her purse, attaching it onto her arm. By the time it reached floor 10, Ruka had activated the duel pad's blade. She stepped out of the elevator, noticing the elevator immediately exited into not a hallway, but one of the labs. It was full of computers, and that there was other rooms with computer labs in them, separated by doors and small hallways. She slowly began walking around, on alert for whoever had come up here.

"Hello?" She called out.

A figure then stepped out from behind the main computer in the big desk at the back of the room. He looked at her for a moment before holding up his arm. On it was a brown duel pad, which ignited a yellow blade.

"Who are you?" Ruka declared.

"Someone you shouldn't have followed." The masked figure said, in a very artificial sounding voice. The mask must've been altering his voice somehow. "Run along, girl, before I have to fight you."

"Why are you up here?" Ruka asked. "This area is off limits after lab hours!"

"I could say the same to you, girl." He said. "But since you've discovered me up here… and won't back down, I'll have to defeat you." He then drew five cards, and Ruka instantly knew she would have to beat him to get the answers she wanted. She also drew five cards, eyeing her opponent carefully.

"Duel!"

Ruka: 4000 vs Masked Figure: 4000

"I'll begin by summoning my Silent Swordsman Lv. 3. (1000/1000)" The masked figure stated. He placed the card down on the duel pad's blade, and a little boy wearing armor and holding a sword appeared on his side of the field.

 _A level monster?_ Ruka thought.

"After this I set one card face down and end my turn." The figure stated. "Now… come!"

 _Didn't Professor Himura show us a deck of all level monsters? No… this can't be him. Himura wouldn't break into the school's laboratory like this._ "Who are you?" Ruka demanded again.

"If I wanted you to know, I wouldn't be masked, would I?" The figure stated. "Don't worry about who I am. Worry about winning this duel."

Ruka narrowed her eyes, drawing a card. "My turn. I summon Aromage Canagna (1400/1000) to the field. Now Canagna, attack his Silent Swordsman now!"

"Activate trap card!" The figure declared. "Negate Attack! This trap automatically cancels your attack and ends your battle phase."

"Then I'll end my turn by placing two cards facedown. Your move." Ruka stated.

"So it is." The figure stated, drawing a card. "Because my Silent Swordsman Level 3 is on my field, during my standby phase I am able to sacrifice him to special summon his level 5 form." The swordsman began to glow, getting bigger before the glow disappeared, replacing the kid with a teenage version of himself. "Silent Swordsman Level 5 (2300/1000). Now, I activate my Cost Down magic card. By discarding one card from my hand, all monsters in my hand and my side of the field get their levels reduced by 2."

"At this time, I'll activate a trap. Humid Winds." Ruka declared. "This continuous trap lets me play 1000 life points to add one Armoa monster from my deck to my hand. Even though I activated it, I choose not to use it at this point."

"You're setting up, I see." The masked figure observed. "No matter. Now that his level is lower than 4 thanks to Cost Down, I can summon Armed Dragon Level 5 (2400/1700)!" A red dragon with a grey belly, next and claws appeared on his side of the field, with blades on his chest and spikes all over. "Now, Armed Dragon, attack her Aromage!" The dragon charged forward, slicing through the Aromage with his claws, tearing her apart before she vanished from the field (Ruka: 4000 - 3000). "And now, Silent Swordsman Level 5, attack her directly!" The swordsman charged forward, slicing his sword at Ruka and sending her flying back a bit. She hissed as she hit the ground, before slowly getting back onto her feet (Ruka: 3000 - 700). "What is this? You still have the strength to fight me? No matter, this will end soon enough. Now, because my Armed Dragon Level 5 destroyed a monster in battle, on my end phase he'll level up! Appear, Armed Dragon Level 7 (2800/1000)!" The dragon grew bigger before their very eyes, appearing with a roar that shook the room around them. "That's all for now."

Ruka pressed her duel pad's screen. "I activate a trap, Tri-And-Guess! Here's how it works, I declare one Extra Deck monster type, and if I have more of that monster type then you do, I gain 3000 life points. However, if you have more, you gain 3000 life points."

"A risky play." The figure stated. "On the other hand, the desperate always seem to gamble. Declare your type."

Ruka smirked. "I happen to specialize in Synchro Summoning, so I'll choose that. I got 9 Synchro Monsters in my Extra Deck."

"I have none in mine." The figure said.

Ruka smiled. "Which means I gain 3000 life points (Ruka: 700 - 3700)! But I'm not done, I activate the secondary effect of Humid Winds! Because my life points are lower than yours, I can gain 500 life points (Ruka: 3700 - 4200)!"

"Well then, I can see now how you managed to become one of the best duelists in your class." The masked man stated. "You guessed that my deck is entirely based on Lv monsters, and recognized that there are no Lv tuners, therefore it would be pointless for me to have Synchro monsters in my extra deck. Still, you struggle in vain."

"It's my turn now!" Ruka declared, drawing a card. "I summon Lonefire Blossom to the field! Now, I activate the special ability of my Blossom. I can tribute one plant type monster to summon another from my deck. I sacrifice my Blossom, to summon Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves (1800/2800), in defense mode!" A red flower appeared on the field, opening up to reveal a woman in the center of it wearing a green dress. "I end my turn there."

"Stalling for time?" The masked man asked. "You're delaying your defeat. Do you not know the special ability of my Armed Dragon? Allow me to show you." He then drew a card. "But first, because my Silent Swordsman Level 5 attacked you directly, he evolves farther, into Silent Swordsman Level 7 (2800/1000)!" Like before, the swordsman glowed and began to grow, transforming from a teenager into an adult. "Now, I activate the special ability of my Armed Dragon Level 7! By sending one monster in my hand to the graveyard, any face up monster with equal or less attack points on your side of the field is destroyed automatically! I discard my Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 8, which has an attack of 3000!"

Chirubimé screamed in pain, instantly vanishing off Ruka's field. "Chirubimé activates her effect. When she's sent from my field to the graveyard, I can special summon one plant type monster to my side of the field from my deck. I choose Aromage Jasmine (100/1900), in defense mode!"

"You'll need her!" The masked man said. "Silent Swordsman, destroy that little girl!" The swordsman charged forward, cutting Jasmine in half and destroying her. "Now, Armed Dragon attack her directly! (Ruka: 4200 - 1400) I end my turn. Give up."

Ruka looked down at her duel pad. "What's funny is I said that same thing once… to a duelist I was fighting against. I told him to give up, that the situation was hopeless, and that he couldn't win. But you know what? He didn't give up. In fact, he kept on dueling till the last turn, and he won. He beat me from a hopeless situation." She then looked up at the masked man, glaring. "That taught me something that day… never give up, no matter how hopeless the situation looks!"

"You won't win." The masked man declared.

"We'll find out, won't we?" Ruka asked. "On your end phase, I'll activate Humid Winds to restore 500 life points (Ruka: 1400 - 1900). Now, I take my turn and draw!" Ruka looked at the card, and smirked. "I'll set one card facedown and activate Humid Winds to restore 500 life points (Ruka: 1900 - 2400). Now give me your best shot!"

The masked figure remained silent for a bit, before drawing his card. "I draw, now… Silent Swordsman Level 7, end this duel!"

Ruka smirked. "I knew you'd attack. Activate trap card, Mirror Force! All monsters on your side of the field in attack mode are destroyed!" The swordsman was charging to Ruka, but a glass wall sprang up, blocking his attack. It then shattered, sending tiny particles out and slicing through the swordsman and the dragon, cutting them both up and destroying them.

"Not bad." The man phrased. "However, I now activate Monster Reincarnation. By discarding one card, I can move my Silent Swordsman Level 3 to my hand. I then set him in defense mode and end my turn."

 _That's all he can do._ Ruka thought. _He's got no more cards left in his hand._ "First, I activate Humid Winds to restore my life points (Ruka: 2400 - 2900). Now, it's my turn! I summon Aromage Rosemary (1800/700) to my field in attack mode! Rosemary, destroy his defense!" Rosemary waved her staff, and blue flower pedals came out and struck through the facedown monster, destroying it. "I'll end my turn."

The masked figure nodded, drawing a card. "Then I'll go… I activate Level Modulation! You get to draw two cards, but in exchange, I can summon any monster with 'Lv' in its name. I'm going to choose… My Armed Dragon Level 7!" The red dragon appeared back on the masked figures field, roaring loudly. "Since a monster summoned by Level Modulation cannot attack, I end my turn."

"Humid Winds activates again (Ruka: 2900 - 3400), and this time it also triggers Rosemary's effect. Whenever I gain life points, she changes the position of one monster. I'll choose your Armed Dragon Level 7!" Ruka declared, drawing a card. "My turn! I summon Lonefire Blossom, and this time I'll use his effect to sacrifice himself to summon my Aromage Bergamot (2400/1800)! Now, I activate Humid Winds! Since my life is still lower than yours, it increase my life by 500 points (Ruka: 3400 - 3900)! Now, Aromage Rosemary's effect activates, a monster is forced to change its battle position, and I'll choose your Armed Dragon. Now, Aromage Bergamot's effect activates. Because I gained life points this turn, her attack and defense increase by 1000 each (Aromage Bergamot: 2400/1800 - 3400/2800)! Now, Bergamot attack his Armed Dragon now!" Bergamot raised her hand, sending red flower pedals out and slicing through Armed Dragon, destroying it (Masked Figure: 4000 - 3400). "Now, Aromage Rosemary, attack him directly (Masked Figure: 3400 - 1600). I'll end my turn, now talk! Why are you here?"

The masked man began laughing, looking up at Ruka after a bit. "You really don't want to know, girl." Suddenly, a noise came from the computer. The masked man walked over and pulled out a flash drive, which Ruka guessed he was copying data onto. "Conceder this your win, I surrender. However, even though you won the duel… the war isn't over. I've already gotten what I need from here, and dueling you was a nice little bonus. I now know my associates can destroy you and your fellow students!"

"War?" Ruka asked, then she noticed the man had pulled out a black ball. He then threw it to the ground, and suddenly it exploded, filling the area with smoke. Ruka began coughing, feeling her way around the room because she was blinded by the smoke. From behind her, she heard a shatter, and knew at once the masked figure had left the building. She managed to find her way to the elevator, and got into it. Gasping for air, she hit the button to the ground floor, activating the call feature on her duel pad.

"Come on…" Ruka muttered as it rang.

"Professor Takada speaking." Came the voice from the other end of the line.

"Professor!" Ruka gasped. "It's Ruka Nagai!"

"Ruka?" Takada asked. "You know you aren't supposed to dial this particular school number unless it's for emergencies."

"But this is an emergency professor!" She stated, and began to explain everything. By the time she was done, she was already back in the main lobby of the building.

"How worrying…" Takada muttered once she was done. "Still, why did you choose to investigate yourself? Why didn't you reach campus police?"

"I…" Ruka began, but was unable to find words.

"Still, this manner can be solved easily." Takada stated. "Don't duel anyone else until tomorrow! We can access your duel pad's software once the lab assistants are back and find out the serial number of the last duel pad it connected to, thus figuring out who was behind the mask. Until then, you should go back to the dance, Ruka. Your friends must be worried."

"Yes, professor." Ruka stated, hanging up. She sighed, getting up and walking back to the gym. Upon walking over to the table her friends were at, she was hit with questions.

"There you are!" Yuga spoke first.

"Where did you go?" Naomi asked, looking at Ruka worried.

"Did you fall in?" Asami joked, which earned a glare from everyone.

"You look worried Ruka." Shin expressed.

"What happened?" Roku asked last, knowing at once that something was up.

Ruka sighed, pulling them into the hallway away from the music, where she quietly began to explain what had just happened for the second time that night.

"So Takada wants to run your duel pad through the computer and see if the duel ID could provide us any information on this guy." Roku repeated. "It makes sense, in order to get a duel pad active you need to register it to the dueling network. Still, there's been times where a duelist can falsify information, especially to commit crimes."

"The real question is, what information could he have been after?" Yuga asked.

Ruka shook her head. "I don't know…"

Everyone was silent for a few minutes, before Asami stepped forward and grabbed Ruka's hands into her own. "Ruka, if you wanna go back to the dorms, I don't blame you. We'll all understand and won't be mad."

Ruka smiled and shook her head. "No, I'll stay. I think I need a distraction anyway from the events of tonight."

"We all do after hearing that story." Shin noted.

"Let's worry about this after the dance." Roku said. "We'll go with you to the lab tomorrow as well."

"Thanks guys." Ruka exclaimed, smiling as she followed her friends back into the gym, where yet another slow song had begun for them to dance to.


	10. The Sentence

**Alright guys, we're officially in the double digits now for chapters on this story. We had two reviewers for Chapter 9 at the time of publishing this chapter, so I'd like to thank both Martyn and D3lph0xL0v3r, continued readers of the story!**

 **Just so no one is confused, the first half events of this chapter take place on Friday before the dance, with the second half of the chapter taking place during the Saturday of the dance.**

 **On another note, I hope I wrote this alright. I never really paid attention to courtroom scenes and stuff... that statement will be made clear once you read the chapter. On that note, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!**

* * *

"Jury, report." The judge said, shuffling through some papers. He was a grey haired, middle aged man, wearing the traditional black robe with a white undershirt and black tie.

"The jury is all here, your honor." Said a woman standing at the jury box, dressed in a black formal dress. With her in the jury box were a mixture of men and woman, all dressed alike in black suits and dresses.

"Good, then the prostitution of the defendant, Jirou Kenyo, shall begin." The judge spoke, turning to a police officer standing to his left. "Go fetch the prisoner."

The police officer nodded, walking out of the court room, passing by the only two people in the court room. Mr. and Mrs. Kenyo were sitting there together behind the defendant stand, Mrs. Kenyo crying to herself as Mr. Kenyo kept an arm around his wife, looking stressed. "As promised, we published no information about this trial." The judge spoke directly to them. "However, your son still committed an act of extreme violence, and this must be done."

"O-our boy w-would never." Mrs. Kenyo sobbed, her tears dripping into her blue dress. "H-he didn't get along with h-his brother... in f-fact he was quite mean to h-his brother, but h-he's always been a g-g-good boy to everyone else!"

"Perhaps to your eyes, yes." The judge said, making Mr. Kenyo shake a little in rage, wrinkling his blue suit. "However, the crime happened, and no matter how 'good' your son was, he will still go through his trial."

The back doors of the court opened, and to the surprise of everyone, it was not Jirou and the police officer, but two additional guests. The first was a balding, older man wearing a red suit and a wide, rich looking smirk on his face. He held a cane that was decked out in jewels and a sapphire as the handle. Accompanying him was a man no older then Jirou, wearing a black racing suit meant for turbo duels, with yellow designs all over. His black hair was spiked straight up, with a single bang falling down in the center of his forehead. His black eyes looking around the room with interest.

"Huh, not a big turn out." The younger man spoke, looking down at the older man.

"Now, now, Raven." The older gentleman spoke. "They did want this to be a private trial, after all."

"Who are you?" Spoke the remaining cop in the room, as he stepped forward. "How did you get past the guards outside?"

The older man spoke, as he entered the court room with Raven. "I believe I do have a right to be here, as chairman and manager of the Pro Dueling League. Mr. Lockwood, at your service."

The judge sighed, pounding his hammer to catch the attention of the police officer. "Mr. Lockwood, I do believe that this trial's guests were only approved to be the jury of 12, the parents of Jirou, and any court officials that were permitted to be working here today, which basically means me, and the police. You have no right to be here with whoever you brought with you."

"Ah, yes, please excuse me. This is Raven, the newest rising star of the Pro League." Mr. Lockwood grinned. "And if you may hear me out, your honor. Being the manager and owner of the Pro League, I believe that I have every right to be here, as your prosecuting my client on a manner that happened in my dueling arena."

The judge sat back, sighing. He thought for a minute before nodding. "Very well, you and your other athlete can stay, but I do not want to hear any more out of you unless you are asked to speak, do you understand.

Lockwood nodded, though Raven looked at his boss sideways, not believing that they were just here to watch the trial. A few tense minutes passed, with only Lockwood seeming relaxed, keeping a grin on his face. Finally, the backdoors opened again, and through them stepped Jirou, handcuffed in the front, being escorted by the cop to the defense stand. Mrs. Kenyo sobbed louder than ever at the sight of her oldest son in chains. Jirou got to the front and turned back to his parents, looking at them for a few minutes before finally speaking.

"Where's the twerp?"

"He getting ready for Union's Homecomming Dance." Mr. Kenyo replied. "On top of that, he's stressed enough knowing what you did. He doesn't need to see this."

"In other words, he's too weak to come." Jirou replied, turning back to the front to miss his father's glare of anger.

"Mr. Kenyo." The judge spoke, looking at Jirou. "You are hereby charged with aggressive assault on Hero… seriously, they couldn't have put his real name? Anyway, you're charged with aggressive assault, rending a citizen hospitalized with several fractures, broken bones, etc. How do you plead?"

Jirou didn't reply for a moment, before finally speaking. "I plead that I carried out the duel as any duelist would. I attacked with my monster to win the duel, and Hero merely was too weak to take the blow. Not my fault."

"If I recall, duelists registered in the Professional Leagues are hereby obligated to sign a contract stating that they would not carry out any dueling that would result in severe injuries. Ever since Solid Vision was implemented, duelists are able to interact with holograms, by touching and feeling them. The contract farther states, when conducting direct attacks, the duelist must take pre-cautions that said attacks would be conducted one at a time, to insure no actual injuries will occur. You, on the other hand, ordered three direct attacks to be issues simultaneously, which I believe is not only a violation of the contract you signed, but is taught to be very dangerous to do as multiple attacks have been known to cause actual injury."

Jirou smirked. "Guess I forgot. You can't really pardon me for making a simple mistake?"

"Ah, but if you recall, you must make the oath of the Pro League each and every time you conduct a duel within my walls." Lockwood spoke.

"Mr. Lockwood, I do believe I said you are not to speak unless spoken to." The judge snapped.

"I apologize, your honor." Lockwood said. "I just thought that information should be known."

The judge nodded. "Your defense?"

"Don't I get a lawyer for this sorta thing?" Jirou asked as he looked around. "I don't see one… on that note, I don't even see a prosecution lawyer!"

"Under normal circumstances you'd get a lawyer, yes." The judge replied. "However, no lawyer would take your side in the case. You're assault was broadcast on live TV, and if I recall, any lawyer we tried to appoint to you refused, as the evidence was indisputable."

Jirou grit his teeth angrily. Mrs. Kenyo was sobbing harder than ever, and Mr. Kenyo had gone pale in the face.

"If I may, your honor." Lockwood said, standing up. "I do believe that I do have some evidence for some innocence on my client's behalf."

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" The judge asked, glaring at Lockwood. "First you state some evidence against him, now you're defensing him?"

Lockwood continued to grin. "Please, your honor. I do have to take care of my clients, don't I? They are my duelists for my duel league. Jirou did indeed conduct his attack, however, the state of an action duel has been known to cause increased adrenaline to a duelist, therefore causing them to sometimes make rash decisions."

"A duelist is usually expected to handle this, Mr. Lockwood." The judge shot back.

"Yes, indeed, I apologize." Mr. Lockwood said, sitting back down. Raven raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly Lockwood was playing at. The old man was still grinning, as if he expected that answer.

"I do believe all the evidence was submitted and reviewed by the jury before the case began." The judge said. "And since no evidence was submitted in the defense that is passible, have we come to an agreement?"

 _We're already going to the verdict?_ Jirou thought to himself. _Without lawyers? This is a fucked up trial… almost as if it's ridged entirely for me to be announced as-_

"Yes, your honor." The woman from before spoke up. "We find the defendant, guilty of-"

"If I may again, your honor?" Lockwood stood up, raising his hand.

"Excuse me?" The woman shot at the old man. "But I believe the judge asked me to speak and not you."

"Pardon me, miss." Lockwood smiled, bowing at her. "But such a quick conclusion… without even a chance for young Jirou. What would you do to him if her guilty sentence went through?"

"That isn't your business till I issue the punishment based on the severity of the crime." The judge said. "But if you must know, the degree of his assault means he could serve six to thirty years in prison." At this, Mrs. Kenyo let out a loud sob before practically fainting.

"Six to thirty… my, oh my." Lockwood shook his head, still grinning. "And what exactly will this do? Lock him away for him to maul on his hatred. I believe since he is a duelist, we should solve this like a duelist."

"What are you inferring?" The judge asked, suspicion in his voice.

"A duel, of course." Lockwood spoke. "Jirou is still reigning World Champion of Duel Monsters, and with that title he is able to defend it. Here I have Raven, a man more than capable of stripping him of his title. The duel will be simple. If Jirou wins, we drop the charges and he keeps his title. If Raven wins, Jirou loses his title to Raven and your sentence will be carried out."

"Are you insane?" The judge asked in shock. "You expect me to bet this criminal's fate on a card game!? This is a criminal who assaulted a man we've got here! This isn't something that we can just bet on a children's card game!"

At this, the grin of Lockwood finally faded, replaced with a sinister look of anger that made the room grow cold. "Children's card game? I'm sorry, your honor, but you have no idea the meaning of this game. It isn't like Go Fish or any game you'd classify as a children's game… this game is about heart, your soul and mind… this game was used by the ancient Egyptians to invoke powerful magic that we of today cannot comprehend. I merely offer a solution, to settle this manner how it was created, with the very game. If the cards find Jirou is guilty, he will serve his sentence. I believe you will find, your honor, that this game is more than just a game."

"This is just a ploy!" The judge shouted. "You just want to broadcast this duel and get more profit, don't you?"

"Perhaps it will net me a gain." Lockwood said, glaring. "But, the people don't want a private trial… they want justice, and the cards will serve it! And if I may, this is an invalid trial in the first place! No lawyers? A jury of biased individuals?"

"The evidence is too much! Lawyers would only state what we already know!" The judge stated.

"But you're still bound to follow your own code." Lockwood stated. "You must give all a fighting chance, and you're basically announcing this boy as being guilty without a lawyer to even prosecute him, or one to defend him. He didn't announce if he was guilty or not."

"His statement was basically him stating he attacked the prosecution!" The judge noted.

"And where is the prosecution?" Lockwood asked. "In the hospital, yes, but surely a prosecuting lawyer would be here? No, I feel as though this trial is corrupted, as if someone manipulated it to be unfair on purpose. Perhaps even Hero himself paid off the jury and the judge." At that, the judge flinched, something Raven and Lockwood both noticed. "Therefore, I am taking manners into my own hands. The duel will decide if Jirou will walk a free man to fight in the Pros for me as Champion, or serve the six to thirty he would be sentenced to here."

"You can't just take this manner from the court." The judge stated.

"Oh?" Lockwood grinned, as the back door opened as two men stepped through. "I think I can."

Raven looked back in shock, watching as the two men walked through the door, dressed like secret service agents. They scanned the room before the one of the right started to talk. "This court is ruled as invalid."

"I beg your pardon!" The judge spoke.

"Supreme Judge Lennox has ruled it himself." The one on the left spoke.

"J-j-judge Lennox?!" The judge's voice shook, as he recoiled back in fear.

"Supreme Judge Lennox has also agreed by Lockwood's request for this to be settled in a duel." The one on the right said. "The duel is scheduled for tomorrow, 8 pm sharp. Good day." They then turned to Jirou, grabbing him and guiding him out of the room. "Till then, the prisoner will be held by the secret service."

Raven, in the mist of silence from the judge and jury, bent over to whisper to Lockwood. "Who's Lennox?"

"An old friend." Lockwood whispered back, a smirk on the man's face. "You best be ready, the duel tomorrow is not going to be easy. Now, we should go before the Kenyo's erupt questions on us, or this corrupt judge yells as us."

"This was your plan." Raven whispered back as they began walking out of the courtroom. "Your plan all along, wasn't it?" Lockwood didn't reply, but a small smile was still on the man's face.

XxXxXxX

The news that Jirou would be dueling in a match against up and coming duelist Raven of the Pro League spread so fast, that by noon the next day everyone in the city had heard the news. Only the students of Union seemed to miss it, as they were too busy getting ready for the dance. The teachers did hear the news, however, and decided it was best that the students did not know of this, especially Yuga and his friends.

"Welcome to Pro Dueling!" A women shouted at the Grand Dueling Arena. "I'm your announcer for the evening, Melissa Claire! And now, the main event is about to get underway! Tonight, we have wanted criminal and current Duel Champion, Jirou, defending his title from Raven, a duelist who rose to fame soon after the infamous duel between Jirou and Hero! The duel tonight will be a Riding Duel, a dueling style that became popular when Synchro Monsters were developed for the first time! Now, let's welcome the challenger the evening, Raven!" Smoke erupted from a doorway on the turbo dueling track, as a black duel running with yellow steaks came roaring onto the track. Raven was wearing the same uniform he wore at the trial, just with a black helmet to match. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Raven raced around the track, stopping at the starting line.

"And now, the current World Champion, Jirou!" The smoke erupted again, and a white duel runner roared into the track, but there was no cheers to welcome this one. Jirou, now wearing a white riding suit with a white helmet, was met with boos and hisses, some people even backing away in this seats to be farther from him. Jirou stopped next to Raven at the starting line, and looked sideways at his opponent, who looked very serious.

 _I don't know why you wanted this, Lockwood._ Raven thought to himself. _All I know is you wanted this, and I cannot lose! I have to win, not just for the title, but to lock this criminal way for good._

"Duelists, are you ready?" Melissa asked. "Then let's get this underway, Speed World Neo on!"

"Turbo Duel." Both duel runners said in their mechanical voice. "Auto pilot, standby."

Two rings erupted from the duel runners, turning the entire track into a field for them to duel on as a yellow blade came out of the black duel runner and a blue blade came out of the white duel runner. Melissa smiled as a holographic stoplight appeared on the field and began changing from red to yellow and finally to green. "Riding Duel… Acceleration!"

Both duel runners suddenly took off, racing across the straightaway to the first corner.

"DUEL!"

Jirou: 4000 vs Raven: 4000

"Whoever takes the corner first gets to make the first play in the duel." Melissa shouted. "And from my eyes, it's Raven!"

Raven did indeed round the corner first. He looked behind at his opponent, who was eyeing him carefully. _No, he wanted to go second. Cyber Dragon can use its special ability to come out on the field if he has no monsters and I have at least one._ "My turn, then." Raven announced. "I summon Blackwing – Kris the Crack of Dawn (1900/300)!" A blue humanoid looking bird appeared, flying alongside Raven's duel runner.

 _A Blackwing deck, huh?_ Jirou thought.

"Whoa, already a big opening play by Raven!" Melissa screamed, as the crowd erupted in cheers.

"These people obviously don't know a good match." Jirou taunted, smirking. "Cheering for you with only one monster on your side of the field. It's pathetic."

Raven took this insult in stride, smiling to himself. "You obviously haven't ever seen me duel. Now I activate the special ability of the Blackwing – Oroshi the Squall in my hand! Because I have a Blackwing monster on my side of the field, I can special summon him to my field from my hand (Blackwing – Oroshi the Squall: 400/600)!" This time, a blackbird appeared on the field, flying alongside the duel runner as well. "Now, I tune my Level 1 Blackwing – Oroshi the Squall to my Level 4 Blackwing – Kris the Crack of Dawn!"

"A Synchro Summon!?" Jirou gasped.

"Light fiend, appear and blind the enemy with illusions! Synchro Summon! Level 5, Armades, Keeper of Boundaries (2300/1500)!" Raven chanted. Before Jirou's eyes, a white garbed undead looking monster appeared and began hovering on the track beside Raven's duel runner.

"And there it is! The specialty of Raven, the first turn Synchro Summon!" Melissa cried to cheers of the crowd.

"I'll place once card face down." Raven said, as the card appeared on the field and disappeared to save memory in the duel runner. "You're go."

Jirou grit his teeth, drawing a card. "My turn! I activate the effect of King of the Swamp! By discarding him from my hand, I can move a Polymerization from my hand to my deck! I then put a monster in face down defense mode and end my turn."

Raven smirked as Melissa's voice rang out through the stadium. "Jirou barely made a play! Did he not get a good hand, or is this part of some plan of his?"

Jirou closed his eyes, which was safe to do because of the auto pilot of the duel runner he was loaned. He could hear the audience booing and hissing at his lack of moves that turn. They were shouting things like "How did this guy ever beat Hero?" and "They should've just locked you away and not have given you a chance!" He remained calm, however, silently telling himself that he would soon show them all.

"It's my turn again." Raven cried, drawing a card as the crowd's boos turned into cheers once again. "I'll attack your face down defense monster with Armades!" The fiend flew forward, slashing at the monster the card hologram was hiding. It appeared as Cyber Dragon Core (400/1500), and was instantly destroyed by the monster's attack. "I end my turn there."

The crowd was cheering, and Jirou smirked. "I wanted you to destroy that card, hence why I left him wide open."

Raven smirked back. "Then show me why you made that call."

Jirou hissed, drawing a card. "I will, my turn now! I activate the effect of my Cyber Dragon Core. When he is in my graveyard, I can banish him to summon one 'Cyber Dragon' monster from my deck, as long as I have no monsters on my side of the field. I summon, Cyber Dragon (2100/1600)!" The metallic serpent machine dragon appeared on Jirou's field, roaring loudly and floating alongside his master.

"Not a bad move, if it was against a weaker monster." Raven stated. "How do you expect to beat 2300 attack points with 2100?"

Jirou growled. "Let me finish my turn, punk! Now, since I still have my normal summon, I'll summon Cyber Dragon Zwei (1500/1000) to the field!" Another Cyber Dragon appeared on the field, but this one had yellowish green highlights in its metallic armor. "I activate my Zwei's special effect! By revealing one Spell Card in my hand, the name of my Cyber Dragon Zwei is treated as Cyber Dragon for the rest of the turn. I'll show you my Polymerization, since you already know I have it!"

Raven's eyes widened as his smile faded. "And you're doing that because…"

Jirou smirked. "That's right, now I can fuse my Cyber Dragon Zwei with my Cyber Dragon, using Polymerization! Two machine dragons, merge together into a new ferocious machine! Fusion Summon! Level 8, Cyber Twin Dragon (2800/2100)!" A two headed Cyber Dragon appeared next to Jirou's duel runner, glaring at his adversary. "My Cyber Twin Dragon has a passive effect. He gets to attack twice during each Battle Phase! Now, Cyber Twin Dragon, attack his Armades with your first head!" Cyber Twin Dragon's left head roared, sending out a blast of blue energy, obliterating Armades (Raven: 4000 - 3500). "Now, the second attack! Cyber Twin Dragon, direct attack!" The right head of Cyber Twin roared, sending out the same blast as the first one did, this time hitting Raven and causing the duel runner to spin out of control for a bit before Raven regained his handling (Raven: 3500 - 700).

"I don't believe it!" Melissa shouted, eyes wide in disbelief. "Jirou has drawn first blood, and with two hits in a row! He's reduced Raven's life points to a mere 700! How will he respond?"

Hisses and boos came from the crowd. Cries in protest to Jirou's amazing play ringing in the ears of the Cyber user, but he ignored them all. "I'll end my turn."

Raven shook his head, and looked back up, but to everyone's surprise, he was smiling. "My turn now!" He then drew a card, and the cheers erupted once again. "I summon Blackwing – Pinaki the Waxing Moon (1200/1000)!" Out came a black bird wearing what looked like a white turban, holding a bow. "And I activate the ability of the Blackwing – Kris the Crack of Dawn in my hand! Because I have another Blackwing on my field, I can special summon him from my hand. Next, I tune my Level 3 Blackwing – Pinaki the Waxing Moon with my Level 4 Blackwing – Kris the Crack of Dawn!"

 _Another Synchro Summon?_ Jirou thought to himself.

"Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to heaven! Synchro Summon! Level 7, Blackwing Armor Master (2500/1500)!" Raven chanted, as a giant armor plated humanoid bird appeared next to his duel runner. "Armor Master's special ability, he cannot be destroyed by battle and I take no damage from battles involving him!"

"Say what!?" Jirou shouted.

"There's more." Raven smirked, looking behind his shoulder at his opponent. "When he attacks a monster, I place one Wedge Counter on it, and any monster with a Wedge Counter on it can have that counter removed by him to make their attack and defense 0 until the end of my turn!"

Jirou hissed, pulling a card from his hand. "In that case, I discard my Effect Veiler! By doing this, the effects of your monster are negated until the end of your turn."

Raven smirked. "Not like you had a choice but to do that. Effect Veiler can only be used on your opponent's turn. Doing that prevents me from placing a counter on your monster this turn. Very well, I'll end my turn now, but not before activating the effect of my Pinaki in my graveyard. Because he was sent to my graveyard this turn, I can activate his special ability. It allows me to move one Blackwing from my deck to my hand, and I choose Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind!"

"It's my turn now!" Jirou declared, drawing a card. "I activate Monster Reborn! This allows me to bring back my Cyber Dragon from the graveyard! Rise, my beast!" Cyber Dragon appeared from a vortex, roaring loudly.

Raven looked back at Jirou, a smirk on his opponent's face. _I get the feeling he's got Evolution Burst in his hand._ "Trap activate, Icarus Attack! By tributing 1 Winged-Beast monster on my side of the field, I can destroy two cards on yours. I sacrifice my Blackwing Armor Master to destroy Cyber Twin Dragon, and Cyber Dragon!"

Blackwing Armor Master flapped his wings violently, and in a matter of seconds Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber Dragon were destroyed by the whirlwinds he created. Jirou growled in anger, glaring at Amor Master as he vanished from the field.

"Raven just took out both of Jirou's monsters! In exchange, he had to sacrifice his own!" Melissa called. "Was his play the right one?"

"I was right, wasn't I?" Raven asked to a growling Jirou. "You had Evolution Burst in your hand and were going to use it in combination with your Cyber Dragon to destroy my Armor Master? Don't forget, I watched that duel between you and my predecessor. I knew that if you had that card, you'd try to use it on me."

"Shut up!" Jirou shouted. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Then I go now." Raven stated, drawing a card. "I summon Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow (1400/1000)!" Another black bird appeared, but this one seemed to have blonde hair and a red mask on his face. "Now I activate the special ability of the Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind in my hand. Because I have another Blackwing on the field, I can summon him from my hand. Come forth, Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind (1300/400)!" A purple feathered Blackwing with green feathers on his head appeared on Raven's field. "Now, I tune my Level 3 Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind to my Level 3 Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow!"

 _Just how many times is this guy gonna Synchro Summon?_ Jirou thought in frustration.

"Draw the great blade of myth! Come from the dancing whirlwind of feathers, heroic raptor! Synchro Summon! Level 6, Blackwing – Nothung the Starlight (2400/1600)!" Raven chanted, smirking. "Nothung the Starlight's special ability now activates, you take 800 damage once he is successfully Synchro Summoned!" (Jirou: 4000 - 3200)

"Jirou has finally taken some damage!" Melissa shouted, glee in her voice. "Looks like Raven is ready to make his comeback!"

"Now I attack!" Raven shouted. "Nothung the Starlight, attack his defensive monster!" The Blackwing drew his sword, charging forward and slashing at the facedown monster, which was revealed to be another Cyber Dragon Core. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

Jirou was now livid. He growled an inhumane growl, drawing his card and immediately playing it. "You'll pay! First I play Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards!" He drew two cards from his deck, smirking at the sight of them. "Perfect. I summon my Cyber Dragon Drei (1800/800)!" Another Cyber Dragon appeared, this one with pure gold highlights. "Now I activate the spell card, Overload Fusion!"

 _That's it._ Raven thought to himself, smirking.

"Taste my wrath! I fuse the Cyber Dragon Drei on my field, with my Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Zwei, Cyber Twin Dragon and the two Cyber Dragon Core's in my graveyard, banishing them all to fuse them! Overwhelming machine of unstoppable might, lay waste to those that dare oppose you! FUSION SUMMON! Level 9, Chimeratech Overdragon! (?/?)" A five headed machine dragon appeared next to Jirou's bike from what looked like an exploding vortex, roaring with its many heads. Some people screamed in fear from the sight of the same monster that hospitalized Hero.

"J-J-Jirou summons his most famous monster! The Chimeratech Overdragon!" Melissa stuttered in fear. "I-its appearance seems to be freaking out some of the audience, but Raven doesn't seem to be afraid at all! In fact… I think he's smiling!"

Jirou grinned evilly, looking at his opponent. "What's the matter? So scared at facing the same monster that hospitalized your predecessor that you broke mentally? I think you forgot that my Chimeratech Overdragon has 800 points for each monster used to summon him, plus gaining an additional attack for each one as well. So he has five attacks and 4000 attack and defense points (Chimeratech Overdragon: 4000/4000)!"

"Jirou's monster not only has the most points we've seen this duel, but additionally can attack five times in a row. Unless Raven has a trick up his sleeve, he's doomed!" Melissa called.

"FACE THE SAME FATE AS YOUR FORMER! ATTACK!" Jirou shouted in rage.

"You really are something." Raven said. "Where did you go wrong? Where did all that hate come from? Doesn't matter, you made your final mistake. I activate a trap, Compulsory Evacuation Device! It sends one monster on the field back to your hand, or in this case, the Extra Deck." A strange looking cylinder device appeared next to Raven. Suddenly, it shot a red ray out at Chimeratech Overdragon, causing the monster to vanish before all of their very eyes.

"My dragon!" Jirou called, eyes wide in shock.

"I take it your turn is over?" Raven asked, getting nothing but a growl in return. "I take that as a yes!"

"Jirou passes on the rest of his turn!" Melissa called. "With nothing on his field, if Raven makes the right play, the match is over!"

"I draw!" Raven called, smiling at the card he pulled. "I summon Blackwing – Blizzard the Far North (1300/0)!" A blue bird appeared next to Raven, squawking. "Normally he'll let me summon a Blackwing from my grave, but there is no need. Now, Nothung the Starlight, attack him directly!" The humanoid bird charged forward, slicing through Jirou and causing him to spin out of control (Jirou: 3200 - 800). "Now, Blizzard the Far North, direct attack as well!" Now the blue bird charged, pecking Jirou violently and causing the 21 year old to fall off his bike and onto the ground (Jirou: 800 - 0).

Raven Wins!

Jirou got up off the ground slowly, glaring at his opponent, who had stopped just a few feet from him, looking at him with saddened eyes as he took off his helmet. "I'm sorry, but I had to defeat you." Jirou then yelled wildly, charging with his fist wound up for a swift punch, but Raven didn't even move. Before he could connect, five bodyguards were on the field, restraining him and dragging him away.

"Jirou has been defeated! Raven has officially claimed the title from him, and is our new Dueling Champion!" Melissa called to cheers of celebration. Raven looked after his opponent before getting back onto his duel runner and riding off the track to the cheers of the crowd. He then entered the dock where he parked his duel runner, taking off his helmet as Lockwood walked up behind him, the everlasting smile on the billionare's face.

"It was all planned." Raven muttered, knowing Lockwood was listening. "The duel, the invalid trial… you had this all planned from the beginning, didn't you Mr. Lockwood?"

"Whatever makes you think that, my friend?" Mr. Lockwood asked, still smiling. He walked up to Raven and placed a hand on the new World Champion's shoulder. "Regardless, you should be happy."

"Happy?" Raven asked. "It was fixed! How else would your friend Lennox agree to this, especially if he is supreme judge?"

Lockwood frowned an innocent looking frown. "Dear Raven, I honestly dunno what you mean. Lennox knew the trial was unfair from the start and came to me. We then worked out a deal that I go to the trial and see if for myself. In the event I did see it was unfair, I would page him, and he would send his secret service to correct the situation fairly.

"With a duel?" Raven asked. "I highly doubt a Supreme Judge would agree to something like that..."

"My boy, you should know better than anyone the powers of this game." Lockwood said, smiling again. "You yourself believe in this game's ability to do justice to those who have wronged, am I right?" Raven remained silent, but nodded. Lockwood smiled, before turning away to hide his grin as he walked away. "Please join us upstairs in the grand rooms. We have wine to celebrate your new title, and I am sure there's some lovely ladies that will be there to see you."


	11. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon

**Alright, I feel like I have to address this particular issue I am having with a couple of guest reviewers that are major fans of this story. You guys NEED to stop going onto my other stories, telling me to continue writing this one. It's rude, it's annoying, and it honestly makes me want to write this story less and less each review I see! I, like many on this site, don't feel like I write well if I do not have inspiration. I don't want to rush anything when it comes to this story, so if I am not updating for a while, I am either planning or looking for the inspiration I need to write, or suffering writers block. On top of that, I am a college student getting my Computer Science degree, therefore I don't have tons of time to write. Also, I do like simply relaxing with a video game or watching an anime some days instead of writing. Add this all together, and I am suprised I even found time to write my Naruto story or my Teen Titans story, especially since we're in the final month of the semester.**

 **A great man named Shigeru Miyamoto once said this about video games: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." I feel as though the same philosophy applies to a ton of things, like drawings and especially in writing a story. While I understand that you guys do want me to continue writing the story, I don't want to rush myself and produce a bad chapter. One bad chapter can ruin an entire story, and I have seen it happen to many great stories on this site, so please understand that I do need time to produce my best work and draw inspiration. If people continue demanding updates, I will begin blocking them. If guests continue doing it, then I will disable guest reviewing, even if I have to appeal to the admins of fanfiction to do it, as they don't particularly have a button to disable guest reviewing. If i cannot get guest reviews blocked... well I guess I deal with it, though guests will immediately be stripped of their shoutouts when I write new chapters. I know that's not fair to all guests out there, but it only takes one bad carrot to ruin a stew they say. I just recommend creating an account for reviewing should this happen. Speaking of the guests doing this though, I'd like to see them try their hand at writing stories, to see how hard it really can be!**

 **On a lighter note, welcome to the long awaited Chapter 11. Thanks to Erik Dokuryuu Cobra, D3lph0xL0v3r, FanOfKings and Komori Rias for the reviews on Chapter 10. With that said, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Professor Takada took the duel disk Ruka was handing to him, before sitting down in a chair in the lab and plugging in a cord into the duel disk, before plugging the other end into the computer. "Using this, we can access the data your duel disk captured in the last duel, and with that we should be able to see the Duel ID of the last duel disk you were connected to."

Ruka nodded, frowning as she watched the loading bar appear on the screen of the computer. Yuga and the others were standing behind her, having volunteered to join her for support, but Ruka also realized they must be curious about all of this as well. She defiantly was, as whoever she was dueling was very skilled with the deck they were using.

"This is interesting…" Takada muttered to himself, as he scanned through the data that was on the screen.

"What is it professor?" Roku asked. "Did you find anything?"

"Surprisingly, I am not seeing any recorded Duel ID of the duelest Ruka fought last night." Takada stated, to the shock of everyone present. "I was thinking this wasn't going to be as simple as plug and see, but to have an entirely black Duel ID…"

"But the duel is still present in the database of the disk, right?" Naomi asked.

"Yes, the information about the duel Ruka was in is here." Takada said, pulling up what looked like a duel simulation. Yuga watched as the first two turns of Ruka's duel played out in front of his eyes. "But the opponents duel disk information is completely blanked out. It isn't even fabricated, just wiped entirely."

"A corruption in the data?" Yuga asked.

"No." Takada stated. "If that was the case, Kaiba Corp's backup system would have resubmitted the data to your disk the moment a corruption happened… I think whoever you dueled last night is craftier then we believe. As far as I can tell, this duel wasn't even done with Kaiba Corp satellites, as you need a valid register Duel Disk with a Duel ID to even access the system."

"Shouldn't that be impossible?" Shin wondered out loud.

"Improbable in a small form factor? Yes." Takada stated. "Impossible? Duels on systems that are not Kaiba Corps have been done before. Yugi Moto's famous duel with Arkana the Rare Hunter was done on system not linked to Kaiba Corps, but that was done through an entire server, which if any such servers existed on this campus, they would be detected and terminated at once. Perhaps this duelist's disk had this technology entirely inside of the disk itself…"

"Is it possible to fit that kind of technology in a single duel disk?" Asami asked. "I don't know much about technology, but it seems impossible to do."

"We can create Solid Mass with our disks alone." Takada stated. "Thinking an entire dueling server with every card known to man, with the capacity to handle an entire duel, is stretching it, but with a modified duel disk and the latest technology, it could be done with much spending. But we wouldn't know for sure unless we got our hands on such a disk…"

At once, the lab door burst open. Takada turned quickly to the door to see Himura standing there, bags under his eyes, and a look of fear on his face. "T-Takada, sir! My deck… my precious level deck…"

"What about it?" Takada asked, a worried look forming on his face.

"Gone…" Himura muttered in shock. "It's gone…"

"Gone." Takada repeated. "I think we know the deck you dueled last night, Ruka. Himura, please come over here and look at this duel. Tell me if the structure of this deck is familiar to you."

Himura walked over and watched the duel with his tired eyes. By the end of it, his fear only was worsened. "Yes, yes. That is my deck. I know my cards and I can tell you this deck is mine!"

"Then we found a link." Takada stated. "Whoever stole Himura's Level Deck was the same duelist that dueled Ruka the night of the Homecoming Dance."

"Please tell me he treated my cards with care!" Himura cried, clinging onto Ruka.

"Um… he didn't bend them." Ruka awkwardly said. "Please let go…"

"Himura, where did you store your deck?" Takada asked, looking at his fellow teacher.

"The same place I always store my decks, sir." Himura stated. "If they are not on my person, I lock them inside of my safe that is inside of my office wall."

"Then if you don't mind me sending security to your office, I shall begin an investigation." Takada said. "Not only did this masked individual steal your deck, but he copied unknown information from our database. They must be found."

"Do you mind if we come along?" Ruka asked. "I want to know more about this."

"I don't see the harm in letting you at least look around the office with us." Takada nodded. "But don't get in the way of the police when they are here."

XxXxXxX

"There's no damage on the safe at all." The male police officer muttered as he looked at the outside of the safe.

"No severe break in damage either." The female officer said, examining the door. "But I do see some chafe on the lock. Whoever stole the deck picked the lock to get into the office."

"Any leads on how they broke into the safe?" Roku asked the male officer.

"Not sure." The male stated. "My best guess is they already knew the code."

"B-but how can that be?" Himura exclaimed. "I never, never, never share that combination with anyone!"

"We can't say for sure." The female officer sadly stated. "But we will begin conducting an investigation on the matter, starting with the evidence we gathered here and through the dueling files on this students duel disk. We should head to the second crime scene, the 10th floor laboratory."

The male officer nodded, turning to Yuga and the others. "Sorry kids, but this investigation is to be handled by the FCPD (Fortune City Police Department). If we need your assistance, we will let you know."

Knowing they couldn't fight it, Yuga and the others took their leave, walking slowly back to their dorm rooms, all while thinking to themselves about this whole situation.

"This is all very strange." Roku said as they stepped outside. "Why would the thief feel the need to steal Himura's deck in the first place? If they owned the kind of technology to duel without Kaiba Corp's satellite systems, surely they can afford a good deck."

"You don't think Himura lied to cover up something, do you?" Shin asked, appalled.

"Of course not." Roku said. "I don't see Himura stealing important school files like that."

"But what kind of files could have been copied?" Asami wondered.

"School plans, banking information for school funds… could have been almost anything." Ruka said. "For all we know, the entire school database was stolen that night. I have no idea how big that drive was."

Silence fell between them as they continued back to the dorms, each one of them wondering what exactly could have been stolen that night. Suddenly, Yuga gasped as he stared down at his duel pad. "Guys! The front page of the news!"

They all gathered around Yuga and began to read, Shin's face fell as he read on.

 _Jirou Kenyo Arrested!_

 _Famous Cyber Duelist Jirou Kenyo, who was crowned World Dueling Champion after his defeat of Hero, has been dethroned and arrested by police after his loss against Raven last night. The two duelists had a fearsome riding duel, trading blows until Raven pulled out a spectacular from behind win and defeated Jirou's infamous Cimeratech Overdragon, the same monster known for hospitalizing Hero, with a special trap card, followed with a fearsome assault with his signature Blackwing Monsters. Afterwards, the policer stormed the field as Jirou…_

"I can't read this anymore!" Shin cried, backing away from the group. "I mean, I didn't know anything about this!"

"This is the first I've heard about it too, and I usually hear all the gossip from my room." Roku muttered. "This was kept away from Union eyes, but why?"

No one could figure out the answer.

XxXxXxX

Monday was a rough day for everyone in their circle of friends. Multiple questions were being asked from all sides, the news that Ruka and her friends got involved with a hacker who broke into the building to steal not only Himura's signature deck, but important top secret information, had somehow leaked its way throughout the entire school. That wasn't the worst of it, as every student seemed to read the article published on the arrest of Jirou, and watch the duel on YouTube. The entire morning and early afternoon was filled with people asking all sorts of questions, so by the time Advanced Summoning Methods was beginning, all of them were tired and had splitting headaches.

"For the last time, I just want to be left alone!" Shin snapped at a group of students, who sulked away shortly after getting yelled at.

"People are crazy." Yuga muttered, keeping one eye on Vince, but found to his surprise the red headed teenager seemed more preoccupied with something else to bother bullying Shin. In fact, Yuga noticed he seemed to be stopping people from approaching them.

"Is it just me, or is Vince protecting us?" Asami asked, noticing it as well.

"He's probably doing it just for Ruka's sake." Naomi muttered.

Ruka huffed. "If he thinks that'll make me fall for him, he's delusional."

The door opened at that minute, and everyone looked right at the doorway, expecting Himura to be standing there. Yuga sighed, fearing the poor man was going to be bombed with questions. But to Yuga's shock, standing there wasn't Himura, but an older man with grey hair, wearing a completely black suit and holding a cane with a yellow orb on the top of it. Yuga looked closer, seeing that the orb also had a black star inside of it. The old man walked forward, slowly making his way to the front of the room as every student's eyes were locked on him. Once he got to the front of the room, he slowly began writing "Jin" on the board in chalk, before turning back around and smiling warmly.

"Greetings, students." He said. "My name is Mr. Jin, and I am the Xyz Summoning teacher here at Union."

"Excuse me, professor?" Ruka asked. "Where is Mr. Himura?"

"Ah, yes, but I am sure he told you." Jin said. "You will have four teachers for this class, no?"

Yuga suddenly recognized Jin's name from the beginning of the semester, seeing his name on the class schedule for the class. However, Ruka was still confused. "But I thought he would be spending one more day with us."

"Sadly, the loss of his deck left poor Mr. Himura depressed. He decided to help the police investigate in an attempt to locate his missing cards." Jin replied. "I am sure you all would do the same if you were in his shoes… why, I couldn't imaging losing my cards." Yuga had to admit, if he lost his deck, he would probably do the exact same thing. His cards were too precious to just abandon, especially his Odd-Eyes. He snapped back to reality to hear Mr. Jin speaking. "Therefore, you will begin your Xyz Summoning basics early. Now, to motivate you on learning about all these summoning methods, the other teachers and I decided to motivate the students by holding various contests, as I am sure you have already been told about my Mr. Himura, yes?"

"Himura did mention it on the first day of class." Vince stated. "But what the heck kind of contest is it anyway?"

"A dueling survival course." Jin stated with a smirk on his face. "You and your fellow students that enter will have to get through the course while dueling one another, using Xyz Summoning to the best of your ability. You will get points based on not just getting to the end of the course, but also you will get points on how you use Xyz Monsters to help you win the various duels that you come across. The course will be structured in such a manner that you will be forced to engage your classmates in combat, meaning that many of you will be defeated. Upon lossing, you will be disqualified, but I will explain more about the contest once we get there, but to get you motivated on what prize you will be getting, allow me to show you…"

Suddenly, Jin pulled out a black duel pad, strapping it to his arm and igniting a yellow energy blade. "I summon the Level 4 Alligator Sword (1500/1200) and the Level 4 Flying Penguin (1200/1000)!"

"Wait, two level four monsters?" Naomi said in shock.

"So he can summon a Rank 4 monster." Shin stated.

"Using the Level 4 Alligator Sword and the Level 4 Flying Penguin, I construct the Overlay Network!" Jin shouted, the two monsters turning into orbs of energy and entering a vortex that appeared in the ground. "Formed from pitch black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! (2500/2000)"

The monster that emerged from the vortex was a black and purple dragon, a sharp spear like point as its chin. The students couldn't help but stare in shock and wonder at the yellow eyed beast, including Yuga. Suddenly, Yuga felt a strange pull and pulled out his deck, noticing his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was glowing. Ruka also noticed it, looking at the card in wonder. "What's with Odd-Eyes?"

"Not sure." Yuga admitted. "But I think he's calling out to that card for some reason… like they know each other."

"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon." Jin stated at the awe struck students. "This will be your reward for clearing the obstacle course at the end of the semester. His devastating effect can tip duels in your favor, so he is a very useful card, and his summoning methods grant him a place in any deck you can imagine. His special effect, like all Xyz Monsters, include detaching overlay units, in the case of Dark Rebellion you detach two."

"Wait, so you summon him with two monsters, giving him two overlay units." Roku said. "So by detaching both you can only use his effect once?"

Jin nodded, smiling. "But his effect is worth it. It reads as follows… You can detach 2 Overlay Units from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; its attack becomes half of its current attack, and this card gains that lost attack."

"Wait, it doesn't lose that attack?" Shin asked, shocked.

"Nope!" Jin said, smiling again. "As long as Dark Rebellion remains on the field, that gained attack is kept."

All the students instantly began muttering in shock, saying things like "What a powerful card!" or "That is some reward for us to do well in this section of the course!"

"If Dark Rebellion were to battle something like a 4000 attack point monster, it could cut that monster's attack to 2000, and Dark Rebellions attack would be 4500." Roku muttered. "That's some card, and as a Rank 4, it's very easy to get out…"

"That card must be mine." Vince growled. "Crushing Yuga with that would be a cake walk!"

"What do you think, Yuga?" Shin asked his best friend. "You going to try and get that monster too?"

Yuga, meanwhile, was looking at Odd-Eyes, who was still glowing brightly in Yuga's hand. "You know what, Shin? I think I have to get that card… because it's not just for me… Odd-Eyes wants to be with that card too."


	12. The Xyz Summoning Competition

**Alright, sorry guys but I am performing a time skip in this chapter. Why? Because I honestly didn't know what kind of filler to put into the story for the months of Oct-Nov, and I figured it would be easier if I just navigated right along and got to this section of the arc. On top of that, the big stuff is going to happen after all this, so… dammit I want to get to that! Lol**

 **By the way, I am going to have something involving the people who read this story! Read the chapter first, and then you can see what is going on at the bottom author note! Until then, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

For the next month, Yuga found himself learning many things about Xyz Summoning. Professor Jin really knew his material, and by the time Yuga got to the end of the second week they had Jin as a teacher, he had taught the class overlaying, stacking, detaching, various rules and regulations that needed to be followed to perform an Xyz Summon. The most interesting part of the entire experience was finding out the Xyz Monsters fit into almost every deck imaginable, as they didn't need Tuner Monsters like Synchro's, or specific Fusion Material monsters like Fusion Summoning did. The remaining two weeks with Jin were spent on more advanced Xyz Summoning methods, including Rank-Ups, using Trap Monsters as material, how to treat overlay unit monsters, and summoning defeated Xyz Monsters.

It was mid-November on a Friday when Jin smiled, putting down his chalk and looking up at his students. "That is all I have to teach you about Xyz Summoning. I am very proud of all of you. You managed to not only grasp all the basics, but learn the more advanced methods easily and quickly. Now, you will be given a final test on all this material Wednesday, but I am sure you are most interested to learn about the competition that will take place next Friday, in exactly one week."

The entire class looked on in anticipation as Jin erased everything he had on the board and began writing down the details of the competition as he spoke. "As I said before, this obstacle course is a competition between students in this class in Xyz Summoning. One by one, you will duel each other in the course. Whenever you meet someone, you two will have a duel. Winners will be granted points based on their dueling performance, how many monsters were Xyz Summoned and how effectively they were used, and remaining Life Point count. The points you can earn per duel are out of 10. Losing will freeze your score where it is, and you will be asked to leave the maze.

"So losing means you are no longer allowed to participate." Asami said.

"Exactly." Jin nodded. "You will have one hour to duel opponents. Not only do you have to be quick with your duels to make sure you gain as many points as possible, but you must also perform well in your Xyz Summoning and your ability to use the monsters you summon effectively. Also, you will not be permitted to use school cards like you did while practicing. You must acquire your own Xyz Monsters to use for this competition. Thankfully, a week is plenty of time to acquire some."

 _Oh man!_ Yuga thought to himself suddenly. _I don't have any Xyz Monsters at all, or even know where to get some! I'm sunk!_

"Ruka, will you be participating in the competition?" Shin asked, as Jin dismissed the class.

"Think I'm sitting this one out." Ruka muttered. "As tempting as that Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon is, I'm more of a Synchro user then a Xyz user."

"You think you can lend me a card or two then?" Yuga muttered, his face pale. "I don't have any Xyz Monsters."

Ruka looked at Yuga for a bit before speaking. "All mine wouldn't really fit your deck. They're Rank 2 and 3 and effect Plant Type Monsters... I'm sorry, Yuga."

Yuga sighed defeated. "It's okay…"

"You don't have a single Xyz Monster, Yuga?" Asami asked curiously. "What have you been doing recently? Most of the other students took time to find some cause they figured the competition would require you to get Xyz Monsters of your own."

"Honestly, been reconstructing my deck with other cards." Yuga muttered. "I didn't even think of getting Xyz Monsters."

Everyone looked at each other with worry as a depressed Yuga rested his head down, defeated. Thinking to themselves they needed to act, they nodded to one another.

XxXxXxX

That evening, Yuga was browsing his duel disk for Xyz Monsters online. He wasn't having too much luck though, as most monsters he thought would fit well were either sold out or took more than a week to ship. Yuga's face got more panicked by the second, and finally he threw his duel disk to the end of his bed in frustration, sighing in defeat.

Suddenly, the door opened and all six of Yuga's friends entered with smiles on their faces. Shin was the one to speak. "Hey, Yuga! We got a surprise for you!"

"Unless it's Xyz Monsters, I don't think…" Yuga muttered, but to this surprise saw four black cards being held out by four senior students, who were all wearing black suits. "W-what!?"

"Well, we asked around campus and to we found four seniors willing to let you borrow their cards for a while." Ruka said.

"Yeah!" A senior who had blonde hair and green eyes said. "Just for the week so you can practice up and compete with them!"

"We are going to want them back, but you'll have won Dark Rebellion by then, right?" The lone girl spoke, having brown hair and blue eyes. She also wore a suit for some really strange reason. "This one is Performage Trapeze Magician, Rank 4. He lets you detach a material and choose a monster to make a second attack. Very useful."

"Mine's Queen Dragun Djinn, Rank 4." The blonde senior said. "You can use her effect to special summon Level 5 or higher monsters from the grave, just in case your Odd-Eyes gets sent there or something."

"This one is Kachi Kochi Dragon, Rank 4." A black haired, brown eyed boy said. "You can use his effect to attack twice by detaching Xyz Material if he sends an opponent's monster to the grave by battle."

"Mine is Gaia Dragon, the Thunder Charger, Rank 7." The tallest senior said, having orange hair and black eyes. "He doesn't have a detach effect, but he can inflict piercing damage to your opponent."

"Wow… thanks everyone." Yuga said, stunned as he took each card. "I'll take good care of them until I win!" The four seniors smiled, taking their leave. Yuga watched them go in silence before turning to his friends, who were all grinning at him. "You guys didn't have to…"

"Oh, come on, of course we did!" Asami cheerfully said. "The local shops are loaded with students buying other Xyz Monsters so they can have advantages, we checked…Most are sold out by now."

"Not only that, but the online stores are running low as well, or take a week or longer to ship." Naomi said. "Very bad timing on their part… usually they are stocked to their ears in boxes of them."

"We want you to do your best, Yuga." Roku said.

"Wait, you aren't participating either?" Yuga asked, turning to Asami, Naomi and Roku.

"Dark Rebellion doesn't fit too well in my deck." Roku stated. "I ran simulations."

"I don't have any Xyz Monsters, and I'm not really cut out for it anyway." Naomi stated. "I prefer Fusion Summoning."

"Too ugly for my deck." Asami said, ignoring everyone muttering "That's your excuse?!"

"So it's just you and me!" Shin said, smirking at his roommate.

"Then let's clean house!" Yuga said, high fiving his roommate.

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?" Ruka asked, eyeing Yuga with amusement. "The competition is in a week, and you haven't practiced with those monsters…"

"Oh, right!" Yuga cheerfully said. "Ruka, mind if we do some practice duels?"

Ruka smiled and nodded. "Alright, sure!"

"We'll help to!" Naomi stated. "And we can help Shin as well!"

"Thanks…" Shin muttered, blushing. "I could use the practice."

For the next week, whenever they had the free time, Yuga's friends would help Yuga and Shin practice Xyz Summoning and using their monsters effectively. By the time they took the test Wednesday, not only was Yuga very confident in his ability to summon and use Xyz Monsters, but all the extra practice helped him remember what to answer on the test. At the end of Thursday evening, Yuga found to his present surprise that he got an A on the Xyz Test when he checked the online school gradebook.

"Usually I never get A's." Yuga laughed. "I'm more of a C student if anything."

"That's not a good thing to admit." Shin muttered, looking at his roommate. "Why are you so determined anyway? I mean, that prize card is good, but you don't seem to be doing this just for a super rare card in your deck, Yuga?"

"Honestly, Shin, it's like I told you." Yuga said. "Odd-Eyes wants that card in my deck too, right buddy?"

Shin sighed, finding it weird that Yuga would sometimes talk to his cards. "Alright… get some sleep then. We got a long day tomorrow."

Yuga nodded, heading off to bed, and it didn't seem like long before he was woken up by his alarm clock. The day flew by fast for Yuga, and before he knew it the competition was just about to begin. Yuga stood there nervously, tightening his fists as he awaited for the signal to begin. They only had to attend their first two classes that day, as the competition took up most of the remainder of the day. Yuga was standing with the other students in the courtyard, as Jin stood there, smiling at them.

"The rules are just as I explained last week." Jin stated. "You are to go out into the obstacle course, which is a good half of the North section of the city covered by an action field, and duel opponents while out there. Along the way, you are to find hints as to where the finish line will be located. Once you know where it is and feel like you're acquired enough points, you are to head to the finish line. As stated before, you have five minutes before any dueling is allowed to begin, so you aren't immediately trust into the action with your classmates. Any questions before we begin?"

No student seemed to have a question, so Jin nodded. "Alright, then… action field on! Battle City!"

A pulse of light came from Union's clock tower and covered the city. Yuga could see platforms, tunnels, and other various objects constructed from nowhere with the Solid Vision. He knew the clues as to the location that the finish line will be at were also randomly generated, so not even the teachers would know where the clues ended up.

"Ready? Then… begin!"

Yuga sprinted off to the cheers of all the non-participating students, before passing the gates of the campus into the city. Slowly, the group he was running with was disbanding, as students began heading in different directions in the city, depending on their judgement. Yuga opted to take a back alleyway that now had a stairwell onto the rooftops, and after a while of running form rooftop to rooftop which were connected by platforms of light, he heard Union's bell ring, singling the hour, and the beginning of the duels.

XxXxXxX

Jirou Kenyo was staring down at the floor of his cell, his face tired looking and his hair messy. He had been in jail for the past month, and over that time all he had to keep him company were his own thoughts. He didn't know what to think of himself anymore. He had always been about acquiring power, and taking down anyone who stopped him from reaching the top. When he finally got to the top… he was dethroned and imprisoned. Where did everything go wrong?

Jirou walked over to the sink in his cell, turning it on and washing his face. He then raised his head, only to look at his tired self, seeing the wrinkles that had formed on his face and the lifeless eyes that looked back at him as the water dripped from his face onto the orange prison clothes he was forced to wear. He sighed to himself, walking back to his bed and lying down.

 _I wonder what Shin is up to now?_

He blinked. Never before had he actually wondered what his brother was doing, or if the kid was even okay. Was prison softening him?

"Hey, it's time for you to clean the shower." A guard said, rattling his baton between the bars of Jirou's cell. "Move it, move it!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Jirou groaned, standing up. He barely even recognized his voice anymore. It sounded weak, and broken. The guard opened up his cell, letting Jirou walk out, and followed closely behind the former champion as he walked in the direction of the showers.

"This is not a day to mess with me." The guard stated. "The police had to close off part of the city because of Union Duel School holding a competition."

"Oh?" Jirou asked. "Who's taking part in it?"

"The freshman class is having a Xyz Competition." The guard stated, raising an eyebrow. "But what do you care?"

Jirou remained quiet for a moment before sighing. "I might know someone competing… but I won't bother you with any more questions."

The guard remained silent till they got to the shower area. "The corner shower is especially nasty today. An inmate tried to kill another one, got blood everywhere. Make sure to scrub it good."

Jirou nodded, taking the mop and bucket with soap in it and deciding that was the best place to start. As he walked over there, the guard looked after him, shaking his head. "I didn't think prison would break that man this much… Ah well, gotta learn somehow."

XxXxXxX

"And that's game!" Yuga declared, standing over his defeated opponent. The guy he beat sighed, slumping over and walking away with a sad look on his face. Yuga sighed. "Alright, that's two, so I should have upwards to a maximum of 20 points… now all I need to do is find those clues, get to the end first, and I'll have around 70, putting me in a guaranteed first!"

Yuga ran around for a while before finding the clues he needed to determine the finish line was at the Fortune City Duel Stadium. Smiling to himself, he began running there to find they had one entrance open. He smirked wider as he neared it, seeing that he was the only one heading there… until he heard footsteps behind him, and saw around ten other students chasing after him, including Vince who was in the lead, and Shin who was somewhat behind him.

"Ah hell." Yuga muttered, taking off into a sprint. He ran through the gates to the entrance and kept on running till he entered the duel field, where he saw a finish line marked by a fabric and two poles. Yuga kept running, but now found himself neck and neck with Vince. Shouting angrily, the two boys broke though the fabric, finally slowing down and panting.

"Alright, we got our contestants here." Jin said, walking forward. "And what a finish, let's see who was the one who won, though."

"Uh, professor?" A senior student who was running the photo finish cam muttered. "We literally cannot tell. It looks like they both crossed at the exact same time."

"Ah, I see, well I didn't expect this…" Jin muttered. "Very well, Yuga and Vince both get 50 points! So that means Shin who was in second gets 40, and…"

"Professor?" The student asked again. "Both Yuga and Vince have 17 points from their dueling… therefore they got 67 points, and are still tied for first."

"My, oh my." Jin muttered, scratching his head. "This was unexpected." He remained silent for a while before a smirk formed on his face. "Well, there's only one thing left to do… you two need to duel to see who gets an extra couple of points. The winner will win the contest and get Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon."

Yuga and Vince both nodded, glaring at each other. Vince smirked a little. "Finally, I can have my rematch against you. I was planning on saving it for after I got Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, but I guess now is a good of time as any."

The students in the stadium erupted in applause at the thought of seeing two students duel in the professional stadium at Fortune City. Both Yuga and Vince walked to opposite ends of the field as everyone else began clearing everything out. Jin walked to the side of the stadium, taking out a microphone. "Unlike other duels that were in the city today, this one won't be an Action Duel. The city action field didn't quite reach the stadium, so you two are dueling normally. Is that fair?"

"Fine with me." Yuga said.

"We dueled normally the first match, so this is perfect." Vince said.

"Then let's begin!" Jin shouted, as both Yuga and Vince activated their duel disks.

"Let's Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Vince: 4000

"I'll begin this duel, by summoning The Black Stone of Legend (0/0)!" Vince shouted, placing his card on the duel disk. Yuga recognized the monster as a black and red egg appeared on Vince's side of the field. "And I am sure you remember what this does. See, it allows me to summon any Level 7 or lower Red-Eyes monster from my Deck, so come forth, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon (2400/2000)!"

"The big guns already, huh?" Yuga thought out loud. _But Vince cannot summon anymore this turn, and if I remember correctly Vince's deck doesn't have many cards other than those stones that allow him to summon._

"I now place one card facedown and end my turn. Don't think you're safe, Yuga." Vince stated, smirking. "Like I told you, I owe you for that humiliation a month ago!"

"Humiliation?" Yuga asked, puzzled. "Uh, we tied that duel, I don't see how that is humiliating."

"Well it is!" Vince screamed. "Drawing with a loser like you is nothing to be proud of. Your deck, your attitude, everything about it screams loser! Now hurry up, so I can crush you!"

"Chill." Yuga muttered, drawing a card. "I wouldn't say my deck is a loser. In fact, my deck has gotten an upgrade since we last dueled. Allow me to introduce to you, my two newest monsters!"

"New monsters?" Ruka asked, puzzled.

"I wonder what Yuga's done with his deck." Roku wondered, scratching his chin. "Should be interesting."

"I'll use my Scale 1 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon, and my Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon to set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuga stated, placing his cards on the disk. Though the blue columns of light, Vince could see a red and a green dragon respectfully, looking similar to the Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon but smaller in stature, almost as if they were children. "Aren't they cute?"

"Cute?" Vince growled. "Quit playing around and continue your turn!"

"Seesh, you really took that draw hard, huh?" Yuga sweat dropped. "Alright, now using my Persona and Mirage Dragon, I Pendulum Summon the Level 4 Dragonpulse Magician and the Level 4 Wisdom-Eye Magician!"

"Level 4?" Shin asked, as the monsters appeared from the portal formed. He had just joined his friends in the stands, having gotten up there with the rest of the competing students who were now out of the running.

"He's going to Xyz Summon." Asami stated.

"I overlay my Level 4 Dragonpulse Magician and Level 4 Wisdom-Eye Magician!" Yuga stated, as his monsters turned into purple orbs of dark light and flew into a vortex of space that appeared from nowhere. "Swing through the air with graze, magician that captivates all! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Performage Trapeze Magician (2500/2000)!"

"Hey, there's my monster!" The brown haired senior girl said, smiling.

"Now, Performage Trapeze Magician, attack his Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon now!" Yuga commanded. The magician smiled widely, flying forward and slamming into Red-Eyes with his feet. The dragon roared, flying backwards and exploding. Vince covered his face from the shockwaves as his life decreased (Vince: 4000 - 3900). "Now I activate the field spell, Sky Iris. This protects any Magician or Odd-Eyes Monsters in my Pendulum Zones from card effects. I'll end my turn there."

Vince growled a little, glaring at Yuga. "Don't think you've won just because you got your Xyz Monster out before I got mine. My turn!" Vince drew his card, smirking at it. "Well look at this, I drew my second Black Stone of Legend. I'll summon it to my field, and using his special ability, I'll sacrifice my stone to summon the legendary… Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!"

The Red-Eyes appeared on Vince's field, roaring loudly, the entire action field shaking as he roared. "You know… I'll never get tired of seeing that legendary creature." Yuga admitted.

"Better get a good look, because he won't be around for long." Vince stated.

"Aww, why not?" Yuga asked.

"You're a moron." Vince muttered, trapping his duel disk's screen. "Activate trap, Red-Eyes Spirit! This card lets me special summon any Red-Eyes monster in my graveyard, and I'll choose my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! Welcome back!"

"Two level 7 monsters…" Ruka muttered to herself.

"I think we all know what Vince is up to." Naomi said.

"Now, I overlay my Level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and my Level 7 Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" Vince shouted, raising his hand up as his monsters turned into purple orbs of light, flying into a space vortex. "Dark dragon encased in molten steel, burn my enemies to cinders with your mighty power! Xyz Summon! Rank 7, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon (2800/2400)!"

Yuga gasped in awe as a metallic Red-Eyes appeared on Vince's field. It growled lowly as it glared down at Performage Trapeze Magician, who seemed to look up at the dragon with terror in his eyes. "Okay… that thing looks really cool." Yuga muttered.

"Cool?" Shin asked in shock. "He's staring down that deadly looking monster and all he can do is admire it?"

"Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon, incinerate his Performage Trapeze Magician!" Vince commanded. Red-Eyes Flare Metal took a deep breath before letting out black and red fire, burning Performage Trapeze Magician who vanished instantly, however Yuga had no life point damage. "What!? Where's your 300 damage!"

"Sorry to disappoint you Vince." Yuga said, smirking. "But Performage Trapeze Magician's special ability makes it so I don't take damage from anything, including effects, that is less than or equal to his 2500 attack points."

Vince growled a little in annoyance, then smiled an evil smile. "Well that's fine… your mage is gone so that effect is canceled. And let's face it, in the end, you're going to destroy yourself this match."

"Huh?" Yuga asked, confused.

"My Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon is more than a 2800 attack point walking nightmare." Vince chuckled. "It's the ultimate burning machine! Every time you activate a card or monster effect, your life points will decrease by 500!"

"No way!" Yuga gasped.

"So essentially, Yuga can't use card effects unless he wants to burn his life points." Roku muttered. "500 per effect, which means if Yuga activates 8 effects, he'll lose the duel automatically."

"Let's not forget that Vince also has 2800 attack on his side, and he's still got powerful monsters in the wings." Naomi muttered, recalling Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon. "Yuga isn't in for an easy ride."

"At least we get to admire the view." Asami said dreamily as she stared at Vince, earning herself glares from all her friends sitting with her.

"I'll next activate Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Sky Iris field spell!" Vince shouted, as a tornado surrounded the field and destroyed Yuga's card. "Now my turn is done, and soon this duel will be done as well, with my victory!"

"Hey, don't count your cards till you draw them Vince." Yuga said.

"What the hell do you mean?" Vince asked.

"Uh, well you know… don't count your chickens till they hatch… I tried to make it about cards, ah never mind." Yuga muttered, drawing a card. A familiar roar seemed to come from nowhere, as Yuga looked at the card he drew to see Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. "Good to see you, old friend. Alright, I'll Pendulum Summon the Level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in defense mode! And I'll call it a turn there."

"Wait, why didn't he summon the other two monsters that he used for Xyz Summoning?" Shin asked.

"Because even though Pendulum Monsters go to the Extra Deck when set there from the field, if you use them for Xyz Material, they are treated as no longer being on the field." Naomi explained. "Therefore, when they're detached or the Xyz Monster is destroyed, they instead go to the graveyard."

"Typical, Yuga." Vince chuckled. "Stalling for time. That's all you ever do."

Yuga frowned a little. "Hey, I'm getting a little better Vince, cut me some slack."

"No, I won't cut you slack!" Vince shouted, drawing a card. He looked at it, then smiled widely. "But your little stalling game won't work this time, Yuga… no, I purposefully made sure my deck was ready to combat your little stall for time game. I activate the Equip Spell Card, Big Bang Shot! My Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon gains 400 attack points, and in addition to that, anytime he attacks a monster in defense mode, the difference between his attack points and your monster's defense points are dealt to your life points as damage (Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon: 2800/2400 - 3200/2400)!"

"Say what?" Yuga asked, stunned.

"Piercing damage." Roku muttered. "Not a good matchup for Yuga's style of dueling at all. Now the more he stalls for time, the more damage he is likely to take."

"Isn't there anything he can do?" Shin asked.

"I'm not sure." Ruka muttered. "But I'm sure Yuga will figure something out."

"Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon, attack Yuga's Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon now!" Vince commanded. Red-Eyes roared, charging forward and becoming surrounded by fire. It flew right into Odd-Eyes, obliterating it. Yuga shut his eyes tightly as some of the fire rushed around him, before taking a single knee (Yuga: 4000 - 2800)."

"That's right, Yuga! Bow to the next King of Duelists!" Vince laughed.

"What a prick." Ruka hissed, clenching her fist.

"Easy." Roku said to her. "Yuga's not out of this match yet."

Yuga hissed a little, looking down at his deck before standing up and facing Vince. Vince smirked. "It's end game, Yuga. You can't activate any cards without taking 500 points of damage, and if you defend, my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon will use his new power to pierce though any defense you have. There isn't a thing you can do to stop me!"

 _He's right…_ Yuga thought to himself. _Vince really has me this time. 3200 attack points can wipe out anything I can throw at him, and I don't think a single card in my deck can save me from the situation I'm in, even if I could play them without taking damage._ Suddenly, Yuga heard the roar of his Odd-Eyes. _Odd-Eyes?_ Yuga then blinked, and suddenly he seemed to be somewhere other than the duel. He looked around, realizing he was in a snowy biome like area. Once again, Yuga heard the roar of his Odd-Eyes, and looked behind him, gasping in shock at what he saw. Behind him was an ice crystal, and within it looked like a blue version of his Odd-Eyes. Yuga knew at once he had to free the creature. Once again, Yuga heard the roar, and closed his eyes, smiling as he turned back to face forward, opening his eyes to see he was once again back on the battle field.

"Quit stalling!" Vince shouted impatiently. "You can't do a thing, so just give up!"

Yuga smirked, placing his fingertips on his deck to draw a card. "This isn't over yet Vince… in fact, I think my victory is upon me."

"You're bluffing." Vince muttered, before shouting at Yuga. "You can't do a thing!"

"Watch me, Vince!" Yuga shouted, drawing a card. "First, I'll begin my turn by Pendulum Summoning! The monsters I choose are, from my Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! And finally, from my hand, the monster I just drew and making his debut duel appearance, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (2500/2000)!"

 _Phantom Dragon!?_ Everyone thought at once. Odd-Eyes Pendulum appeared, and from a burst of blue light came another dragon. He was dark purplish blue, and looked very vicious in nature compared to his cousin next to him. His head was broader, and he had a thin, long tail. With a mighty roar, he shook the battlefield.

"So you got another Odd-Eyes, I'm shaking." Vince sarcastically said. "That wimp is a weak as your Pendulum Dragon!"

Yuga heard the roar again, closing his eyes. _I know… I'll free you soon._ His eyes then opened again, looking very serious."I overlay my Level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and my Level 7 Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" The two dragons began orbs of blue light, and flew into the space portal.

"But why?" The orange haired tall senior wondered. "My Gaia Xyz Monster won't stand a chance against that thing!"

"Wait!" The blonde haired senior said. "I think he's got something else in mind!"

Yuga closed his eyes and chanted. "Dragon of absolute cold, descend and freeze the opposition in place with fear! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 7! Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon (2800/2500)!" Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon appeared from the portal, roaring loudly. He wore icy blue armor, and had black scales.

"Odd-Eyes… Absolute Dragon!?" Vince gasped in awe.

"Whoa, amazing!" Shin gasped.

"But I thought Yuga didn't have any Xyz Monsters." Naomi said.

"Well, this is Yuga we're talking about." Roku muttered, smirking. "Now, let's see what this new beast can do."

Vince was growling angrily. "You are a liar! You said you didn't have any Xyz Monsters last week! I heard you had to go borrow those other Xyz Monsters from seniors! Now you go and summon that thing!?"

Yuga rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "To be honest, Vince, I didn't know I had this card till just a minute ago."

"You damn liar!" Vince screamed, irate. "You can't just pull cards from your ass!" He then breathed heavily, before smirking and calming down. "Fine… you got your Odd-Eyes Xyz whatever it is, but your monster is still weaker than mine. His defense is way too low."

"You're right about that." Yuga smirked. "But look carefully, my dragon is in attack mode!"

Vince looked confused before smirking. "I guess he does have more attack, and you'll take less damage… So, anything else you want to do before I destroy him?"

"Nope. I end my turn." Yuga declared, still smirking.

"What is he thinking?" Ruka muttered.

"Maybe Yuga's just giving up?" Asami asked.

"No." Roku stated. "That new dragon of his… it's got some effect that'll save this duel. Just look at Yuga smile."

Vince smirked, drawing his card. "I have to admit, seeing your new dragon was pretty chill… but it would have just been better to not summon him and accept your defeat! Red-Eyes, attack that Odd-Eyes dragon now!"

"I activate Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon's special ability!" Yuga declared. "By detaching one overlay unit, I can negate any attack performed!"

"Say what?" Vince said in shock.

"That's not the best part!" Yuga said as one overlay unit disappeared from Odd-Eyes and Red-Eyes was halted in his place. "Whenever I use this effect, I can special summon any monster with Odd-Eyes in its name from my graveyard, even ones I used as overlay units and detached for this effect! Come back, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon! Sure, I take 500 points of damage from your Red-Eyes' effect (Yuga: 2800 - 2300), but it's better than losing my monster, right?"

Vince growled a little as Phantom Dragon appeared on the field, but then smiled again. "Fine. Summon him, but I am afraid that you're only avoiding your eventual defeat! I end by turn. Next turn you can survive one more attack, but then its dragon slaying time!"

Yuga looked at his deck, preparing to draw. _This is it. Either this turn or next turn, I need to draw a card that will help me though this. Alright deck… don't let me down!_ Yuga then drew this card, looking over at it briefly before playing it. "I activate the spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"No way!" Vince screamed.

"Lucky draw kid." The black haired senior said.

"Way to draw, Yuga!" Shin shouted.

"Using this spell card, I can destroy your Big Bang Shot!" Yuga declared, as Vince's card was destroyed, decreasing Red-Eyes' attack (3200/2400 - 2800/2400).

"You little snake, how dare you!" Vince growled. "Next turn, you'll pay for that!"

"There isn't going to be a next turn." Yuga stated. "I still got one card in my hand, and I didn't want to summon her when you dragon was out. After all, since she isn't a Pendulum Monster, she would've been destroyed permanently."

"What are you talking about?" Vince growled in annoyance.

"I mean with this monster, your life points are as good as zero!" Yuga declared. "I summon Enter-Mate Uni (800/1500)!" Yuga placed the card on his duel disk, and out of the light came a girl with pink hair and golden eyes, wearing a white outfit exposing her cleavage and black booty shorts. A pink unicorn tail was coming from her lower back, and she had a horn growing out of her head.

"W-what the heck!?" Vince stuttered in shock.

"Well, I didn't expect all of Yuga's changes to be dragons, but this?" Roku asked, sweet dropping along with everyone else in the stands watching the duel. "I'm not sure what to think of Yuga's newest addition."

"A unicorn girl?" Vince shouted. "Give me a freaking break! That is what you're planning on defeating me with? Are you trying to humiliate me? No… are you trying to humiliate yourself!? Look at her!"

"Hey, lay off!" Yuga glared. "No one else wanted her, so I just gave her a home in my deck along with her sister."

 _Sister?_ Everyone thought in shock

"Now… Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, destroy his Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" Yuga commanded. The two dragons roared, shooting a blast of fire and a blast of ice at one another. The two attacks collided in midair and a loud explosion resulted from the collision. Enter-Mate Uni covered her ears as both dragons roared in pain, vanishing before everyone's eyes.

Vince growled angrily. "You little… next turn, I'll re-summon Red-Eyes and crush you!"

"I told you, there isn't going to be a next turn." Yuga stated again.

"What are you talking about?" Vince growled in annoyance. "I got 3900 life points. Your Phantom Dragon only has 2500 attack, and your little unicorn girl only has 800 attack. Overall, that's 3300 damage I'll receive, and I'll still be standing!"

"Well, allow me to correct you on your logic." Yuga said, ignoring the almost roar that escaped Vince in response. "My Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's special ability is pretty neat. Whenever I inflict battle damage to you, and I have Odd-Eyes monsters in my Pendulum Zones, my Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon deals 1200 points of effect damage for each one."

"For each one…" Vince muttered. "Wait, that's a total of 4900 points! So why did you summon that unicorn girl?"

Yuga then sweat dropped. "Okay, MAYBE I wanted to just show her off a little. Come on! This is the first time I've used this new and improved deck and I just wanted to summon her!"

 _Of course you did._ Everyone thought in response to this.

"Alright! Enter-Mate Uni, you get to attack first!" Yuga commanded. The girl nodded, charging forward and aiming a punch that looked a little too cute for comfort at Vince, hitting his face (Vince: 3900 - 3100). "Now, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, end this duel!" Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon roared and shot a blast of dark energy at Vince, knocking him back. Afterwards he glowed with energy and dealt the additional damage (Vince: 3100 - 600 - 0).

Yuga Wins!

"Alright!" Yuga shouted. "Now I got enough points to be in first, even though I got here at the same time as Vince did!"

Jin stepped forward, his face smiling, though he also was sweat dropping, possibly from seeing Yuga's Uni monster. "Yes, you did win Yuga… I present to you… Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! He is yours now."

Yuga nodded and smiled, taking the card from Jin's hand. He then took out his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, holding them together. The cards briefly flashed for a moment. "There you go, Odd-Eyes."

Yuga smiled even more as he seemed to hear the dragon roar in happiness. He then turned to see his friends, along with the four seniors approaching him. Yuga smiled, reaching into his Extra Deck slot and taking out the four borrowed Xyz Monsters. "Here, your monsters back. Thank you guys so much, they were a big help!"

"Yuga, are you sure you don't know where that Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon came from?" Shin asked.

"Not a clue." Yuga said, rubbing the back of his head. "Honestly, I don't know where that monster was until now."

"Quit making excuses." Vince suddenly said, having walked up to Yuga. "Look, you won, I admit it. But don't think I'm giving up, you hear me! I'll beat you one day, Yuga!"

Yuga nodded, smirking. "Alright Vince, I'll await your next challenge."

The red head huffed, storming off as everyone looked after him. Yuga then sighed, putting his hands behind his head. "Well, time to go back to Union!"

"That reminds me." Jin said. "Don't forget that you have midterms coming up before winter break begins."

"What!?" Yuga said in shock.

Ruka giggled. "Yeah, Yuga! You didn't think we had midterms?"

"Ah, come on!" Yuga cried. "I feel like I could die from today's trails alone! Don't throw that one on me yet!"

* * *

 **Just a quick note, Odd-Eyes Mirage, Odd-Eyes Persona, Odd-Eyes Phantom, and Enter-Mate Uni are all Japanese only cards right now. Their English names might not be the same, so just keep that in mind.**

 **Alright guys, I have decided to have a little submission thing for my story. You can all thank Draen for the idea, as he wanted to submit an OC for the story. I decided to give him a shot, and once he did I got a killer idea. There's an arc coming up that I need characters for, so I decided instead of designing tons of characters, I can have the fans of this story put a bit of themselves into this story and have them submit OCs! Yay!**

 **Now there are rules to follow… sorry guys but to submit an OC they can't be Mary-Sues and stuff like that, so just follow these rules and you'll be most likely approved!**

 **Your character's deck cannot contain the following cards/arch-types: Exodia, Blue-Eyes, Egyptian God, Wicked God, Sacred Beasts, Odd-Eyes, Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing and Starve Venom. Your deck cannot also be designed for One-Turn Kills or Deck Runouts, in order to keep duels in the story interesting. Other than that, go nuts.**

 **Your character CANNOT have any relationship with any canon character (Yugi, Kaiba, Jaden, etc), like being family, friendship, dating, etc. Your character also cannot have a pre-existing relationship with a character of mine! That means you cannot create Yuga's long lost sibling or anything like that.**

 **Your character CAN see duel monsters spirits or have a card of their own that's a spirit. Your character can even cause monsters to come to life (Like Akisa's powers in YuGiOh 5Ds). HOWEVER, your character cannot be totally awesome with their powers and abilities and be set up to never lose a duel. By submitting your character, you're basically telling me "I am okay with this character getting their butt kicked at some point". Every duelist loses at some point (Even Yugi lost sometimes, and he's considered the greatest duelist that ever lived).**

 **Your character cannot be evil. I've already got the bad guys planned, I don't need anymore.**

 **Your character will most likely NOT be a Union School Duelist. They will be assigned to a different duel school, and multiple submitted characters might be in the same school.**

 **One OC per person! If I find you're making multiple fanfiction profiles to submit multiple OCs, your OCs will automatically be rejected and you and all your accounts will be blocked. Also, Guests cannot submit OCs. You need a valid account so I am sure it will be one OC per person. It's easy to create an account!**

 **So now that the rules are out of the way, what I am going to need from everyone submitting a character? You'll need to PM me the following information…**

 **Name**

 **Age (should be 16-18)**

 **Looks and features (what they are wearing, hair and eye color and shape, etc)**

 **Personality traits**

 **Backstory**

 **Deck Profile**

 **So get those OC ideas pumping! Deadline for this will be the end of April 2016, or when I got enough OCs to use, and please don't expect your characters to appear in the story right away. Like I said, I will need to get through this current arc (season if this were an anime, but it isn't lol) before these ideas are used. I'll let you guys know when your ideas are about to be used, but just keep in mind it won't be for a while.**


	13. Midterms

**So I can't believe I have to state this already, but there are some people breaking the rules for the OC Submission thing… first off, I said guests are NOT allow to submit OCs, yet two guests have tried, with one even attempting to submit two OCs, another rule that I made being that one OC submission per person. I know it sucks that Guests can't submit OCs, but I will need to PM the OC Submitters from time to time and I can't do that with Guests, on top of that since Guests can choose a different name every time they review, they could technically submit multiple OC and I wouldn't know it. Also, I feel like I have to state this since two people asked if I can forbid others from using a card they want to be unique to their OC. That would not be fair to everyone else, so no I cannot do that. If your characters 'unique' card isn't used by another submitter, great! If not, I'll PM you and you can either change the deck, the characters backstory, or respectfully (and I don't want you to do this but you can if you must) withdraw your character and I will not use them.**

 **The deadline for the OC submission is going to be extended to when Yuga's first year ends. During Yuga's second year is when your OCs will be used, since people are asking already when they will appear, and even some people demanding their OC be used right away or even be part of the main cast. Your OC will be part of their own groups and go to different schools. They will be important to the plot, but they are not main characters. All the "main character" slots are taken by my characters. Anyway, with all the BS out of the way I've accepted three OC submissions from Draen, FanOfKings and Shane Kor. Thanks you three for your OC and permission to use them! Everyone else still has time to get their OC in, so hop to it! Also, I need some girl OC, since all three submissions so far are males, so hint hint to those thinking of submitting but haven't designed a character yet. Rules for OC Submissions can be found at the end of Chapter 12.**

 **I'd like to thank the following people for their reviews on Chapter 11 and 12: D3lph0xL0v3r, Draen, Shane Kor, Martyn (Guest), Natalie (Guest), an unnamed guest, FanOfKings, and Erik Dokuryuu Cobra.**

 **On that note, I feel like I should address something pointed out several times for Chapter 12. Big Bang Shot banishes whatever monster it was equipped to if the spell was destroyed, yet I didn't have Red-Eyes banished when that happened. My bad, but I feel like leaving it in for… some reason. Not laziness, let's just chalk it up as one of those famous errors and move on. And if you don't like that, I'll PM you an entire list of card errors and differences from YuGiOh, GX, 5Ds, Zexal and Arc-V and you can complain about those to Konami.**

 **Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

To say exams was the most stressful time for students would be an understatement. If any outsider were to come onto Union Campus during the hellish weekend of studying for midterms, they would be greeted with a barren outside campus, and upon entering any building they would find nothing but student and student with their textbooks out, cramming for whatever classes they had coming up that week they didn't feel prepared for.

Ruka had a fantastic idea to form a study group with her friends, so the six of them were gathered in Roku's room, textbooks spread out everywhere as they crammed, only talking to one another when one had a question. Yuga and Shin felt embarrassed as they seemed to have the most questions out of any of them, but even then Naomi and Asami, and even Roku and Ruka from time to time, would ask a question every once in a while.

"And the Millennium Puzzle was essential because it was passed from Pharaoh to Pharaoh." Roku finished his explanation on the Millennium Items.

"Thanks, Roku." Shin groaned, putting down his pencil and stretching his hand after writing almost everything the taller male had to say. "Man, this Dueling History midterm is going to be killer…"

"Well, if it makes you feel better, at least we get it out of the way first." Yuga muttered, flipping through his book and finally stopping once he reached a chapter titled 'Only Four Ever Produced? History of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon'.

"That makes it worse!" Shin moaned. "Dueling History Midterm, Monday at 8 am!? What were the proctors thinking when assigning us this schedule!?"

"It isn't any better Tuesday." Naomi muttered. "Advanced Summoning Tactics at noon, and as far as I know that exam is not multiple choice, its short answer on every summoning tactic we learned so far."

"Wednesday is the final two we got though." Roku said. "Deck Building Tactics, and after that for Gym they're giving us a dueling practical. Not action dueling though, we haven't had enough time to learn that one."

"That's the one I'm looking forward to." Yuga smirked. "Give me a pencil and I won't exactly shine, but get me in a duel and I'll ace it no sweat!"

"Don't be so hasty." Ruka warned, looking at Yuga. "This isn't like the test dueling we had applying to this school. They're going to assign us to duel proctors whose entire job is to push us to our very limits."

Shin groaned. "My confidence is slowly draining the more you speak."

"Look on the bright side." Asami grinned. "After this we get a whole month off."

It was Yuga's turn to look sorrowful. "A month at the orphanage… yay…"

Everyone frowned, but thinking it was best they didn't get into that topic they went back to studying. Afterwards they decided to relocate and head to the lunch room to eat before going to the library and studying there. Upon entering the lunchroom, however, they found a shocking scene playing out right before their eyes.

Vince and his gang were squaring off in the lunch room, eyeing each other dangerously. Vince threw a punch at one of the taller boys, knocking him down, but soon he had two others launch onto his back, trying to wrestle him down, but Vince managed to throw them off and slam them to the ground. No body moved, Vince being the only one standing. Shortly after, the shortest gang member started getting to his feet. This member wore a blue jacket, a black undershirt and blue pants. He groaned, rubbing his black bowl cut hair and putting on his thick glasses, now cracked a little. This guy spat some blood out of his mouth before getting fully up and limping past Yuga and the others, who just stared in shock at the fight they had witnessed.

"What happened, Masuhiro?" Yuga asked to the gang member with glasses.

"Never you mind." Masuhiro snapped, adjusting his glasses as they were bent and kept sliding down. Vince huffed, walking away as two nurse assistants ran in and began helping the students up.

"What in the world…" Naomi muttered.

"You missed it?" A junior student asked. "Well, you know how Vince formed that gang, right? Well, getting a gang of delinquents together isn't really the best idea for a study group. They got into a fight about almost everything, from study techniques to whether they should cheat or not. Masuhiro, being the only smart one, was often picked on for his brains. Well, he yelled something about quitting the gang, and soon everyone wanted to do the same for one reason or another. Vince got pissed and, well, punches were thrown."

"I knew that gang wouldn't last for more than a single semester." Roku muttered, looking after Vince.

"What a bunch of immature brats." Ruka muttered.

"That's the stupidest reason to ditch your friends I've ever heard." Yuga stated.

"I couldn't imagine them being really good friends though." Namoi said.

"Poor Vince." Asami whispered, looking at him as he burst through the door to make his exit. "He's covered in blood and bruises."

"I wouldn't really say 'poor' if I were you." Shin said. "I mean, I bet he threw the first punch…"

"Come on, let's just get lunch." Roku said.

The rest of the day passed with a ton of studying, and before any of them knew it Midterms had officially began on Union Campus. Monday's Dueling History midterm is exactly what Yuga expected it would be, a bunch of questions on the various parts of the history of Duel Monsters that they had learned up to this point. Lucky for Yuga though, it was multiple choice, so by process of elimination he felt as though he had gotten most of the answers right. Tuesday's Advanced Summoning Tactics midterm was a killer though, with 70 short answer questions based on summoning. Yuga had to imagine he was in a duel multiple times to remember exactly how to summon what, and barely managed to answer the last question before the 2 hour time limit ended on the exam. Finally, Wednesday rolled around, with Deck Building Tactics and Gym. Deck Building Tactics took everyone by surprise, as instead of a paper and pencil type of test, a box of 500 cards were handed to each student, where they needed to construct a minimum 40 card deck to turn in.

"You have two hours, much like any other midterm here." Takada explained. "The thirty protectors will be keeping an eye on you, so don't go trying to sneak a card or two out of here." He glared especially at a few students, before looking at the proctors. Most of them were pervious students that volunteered to help, and Yuga even noticed Professors Jin and Kato keeping their eye on them. "The boxes have 500 cards each, no archtypes, though a few random cards from an archtype might end up in there. Your task is to build a stable and balanced deck in the allotted time limit. You may begin."

Yuga took the lid off his box and began digging around in there. He would occasionally pull out a card that caught his eye, like 'White Night Dragon'. Finally, he smirked, building a deck based around water monsters with White Night Dragon as the ace, before handing it to Takada exactly 20 minutes before the end of the exam, who went through the cards, smiling.

"I am impressed at this deck." Takada muttered, before looking up and smiling at Yuga. "Very well, results will be posted Friday. You may head to the Gym now and wait for everyone else to arrive."

Smiling, Yuga headed out of the class and headed right to the gym. Soon after sitting in the bleachers near Ruka and Roku for a while, everyone else from the exam joined him, and before long the teachers started piling in, and at the hour Takada grabbed a microphone and began to explain what was going on.

"You will be called forward into private sections in order to conduct your exam." Takada explained. "Through the year, everything you learned and practiced was to benefit your dueling, but now it is time to apply that knowledge not to paper, but to a real duel. Your goal is not victory, but rather to use what you have learned in the duel."

"Professor, are you expecting all of us to Xyz Summon since we learned it in class?" A girl in the front asked.

"I do not expect everyone to Xyz Summon, as there are some who don't have place of it in their decks, but I am expecting you to use the applications you learned to get out high level monsters faster." Takada explained. "Now, you will all wait here for protectors to call you up and lead you to other rooms where your test will begin."

Takada handed the microphone to a protector before leaving the gym to head to this office. One by one, students were called by one of the volunteer proctors. After 24 were called, a 25th proctor stepped forward to grab the mic. "Yuga Suzuki!"

"Huh, I didn't have to wait long." Yuga said, standing up.

"Good luck." Ruka and Shin whispered to him. Yuga gave them a thumbs up before heading down to the gym floor where his proctor nodded at him to follow. Yuga did so, heading to the same room he normally had Advanced Summoning Methods in. He and the proctor both stood on opposite ends of the teaching area.

"Against you…" The proctor said, shuffling though various brown deck boxes, before finally reaching a brown one with a star on it. "Ah, here we are."

"Why is that box different then all the others?" Yuga asked. "All of them are labeled, but that one has a star marking."

"I can't disclose that information." The proctor said. "But I can tell you that this deck was picked out specifically to be used against you."

 _Wow, I'm not sure what to make of that..._ Yuga thought to himself.

"This is a standard duel." The proctor said, taking a brown duel disk out of the pocket of his black pants, strapping it onto his arm, slightly wrinkling his black jacket. The green duel disk shot out a yellow blade. "You are to prove to me your dueling has gotten better since you've been accepted to Union. Draining my life to zero is not necessary, but beating me would be a good amount of additional points. Understand?"

Yuga nodded, taking out his own duel disk and activating it. Yuga looked down at his deck for a minute before putting it into the deck slot and drawing five cards. _I know that my deck won't let me down._

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Proctor: 4000

"I'll begin by placing the Scale 5 Wisdom-Eye Magician and the Scale 8 Dragonpit Magician in my Pendulum Zones!" Yuga announced. "Now I can summon monsters between Levels 6 and 7! I Pendulum Summon form my hand, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500/2000)!"

"According to your report, that's your ace monster." The proctor said. "Didn't think I would see him so quickly."

"Next, I activate the Pendulum Effect of my Wisdom-Eye Magician!" Yuga said. "By sacrificing herself, she can allow me to place another monster from my deck in her place, as long as it is a "Magician". I choose the Scale 2 Oafdragon Magician! Finally, I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"My turn then." The proctor announced, drawing a card. "I place the Scale 1 Qliphort Carrier and the Scale 9 Qliphort Scout into my Pendulum Zones!"

"Wait, Pendulum Monsters?" Yuga gasped in shock.

XxXxXxX

"The field testing is going well so far, Vice Principle Takada." Jin smiled as he spoke to Professor Takada in his office. "All the freshman are doing extremely well, and many of them are displaying the vast knowledge they learned in our classes."

"Good." Takada muttered. "That is exactly what this testing is for… by the way, has Yuga's duel started? He was scheduled to be the 25th duelist called."

Jin nodded. "It should have started about two minutes ago, sir. By the way, if I may ask, which deck is Yuga facing off against anyway?"

Takada smiled. "One of the best this school could get to test him. A Pendulum Summoning deck like Yuga… an archtype of monsters known as Qliphort."

"I've never heard of such an archtype before." Jin muttered. "How powerful are these monsters?"

"They are best known for their ability to be summoned to the field without tribute, despite being high level monsters, however doing this or special summoning them without tribute usually causes most monsters to weaken themselves to a level 4 state, and decrease their attack and defense." Takada explained. "Their real power lies in the Pendulum effects of the monsters, as well as the two powerful 3 tribute monsters that lurk inside the deck."

"Why get such a powerful deck to test Yuga with?" Jin asked. "He's only a freshman, this sounds like a junior or senior testing deck?"

"Perhaps it is." Takada said, sipping his coffee. "However Yuga's skill level has increased a lot since he came to this school, and he still remains our only prime student Pendulum summoner. I figured it was finally time to put Yuga against his own weapon. See if he can handle facing off against a Pendulum deck."

"But one that powerful?" Jin questioned.

Takada paused for a minute before sipping his coffee again. He put his cup down before speaking. "I believe that he can beat that deck, and this is more than just a midterm test. Six other freshman are to battle high level decks to see how powerful they really are."

"Six other freshman?" Jin asked. "Who…"

"Ruka, Roku, Shin, Vince, Naomi and Asami." Takada said. "All six of them, along with Yuga, are battling higher than normal test decks for their year level."

"For what reason?" Jin asked.

Takada frowned. "It's an order from the Principal of the school. He wants to test them for something… something he thinks is going to happen, and that these kids are needed for."

"They're just freshman." Jin muttered. "What task could they be required for that our juniors or seniors couldn't handle?"

At this, Takada frowned. "That's something I don't even know…"

XxXxXxX

"I activate the Pendulum effect of my Qliphort Scout." The proctor announced. "By sacrificing 800 of my life points (Proctor: 4000 - 3200), I can add one 'Qli' monster from my deck to my hand, and I choose Qliphort Helix! Next, I Pendulum Summon the level 6 Qliphort Helix (2400/1000), the level 7 Qliphort Disk (2800/1000), and the level 5 Qliphort Monolith (2400/1000) to the field!"

Yuga groaned a little. "Oh boy, those things are powerful."

"The Pendulum effect of my Qliphort Carrier now activates." The proctor said. "All 'Qli' Monsters I control gain 300 attack points (Qliphort Helix: 2400/1000 - 2700/1000, Qliphort Disk: 2800/1000 - 3100/1000, Qliphort Monolith: 2400/1000 - 2700/1000). However, the special abilities of my Helix and Disk activate. Because they were not tribute summoned, their original attack decreases to 1800 and their levels become 4, but they still gain the 300 attack boost (Helix: 2700/1000 - 2100/1000, Disk: 3100/1000 - 2100/1000)."

 _I see._ Yuga thought. _In exchange for high level monsters and useful pendulum effects, these monsters have a strength limiting drawback that can only be avoided by tribute summoning them._

"I next activate the spell card, Saqlifice!" The proctor stated.

"Uh, come again?" Yuga asked.

"Saqlifice." The proctor said, annoyed. "By equipping this card onto a 'Qli' monster, it gains 300 attack points and can't be destroyed by battle. Additionally, the equipped monster is treated as 2 tributes when summoning a 'Qli' monster. I'll equip this spell onto Helix (Helix: 2100/1000 - 2400/1000)!"

 _Damn, now that Helix can be used for a high level monster like another Disk, and if he tributes to summon it that monster will have 3100 attack points!_ Yuga thought.

"Battle phase!" The proctor announced. "Monolith, destroy Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" The stone structure shot a laser beam out from it and vaporized Odd-Eyes (Yuga: 4000 - 3800).

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but Pendulum Monsters get sent to the Extra Deck when destroyed." Yuga muttered.

"Qliphort Disk, destroy his set monster!" Disk charged forward, spinning around before hitting the set defense card, revealed to be Enter-Mate Uni, who didn't stand a chance with her 1500 defense.

"Aww, I like that monster." Yuga muttered.

"Finally, Helix, direct attack!" The proctor commanded. Helix shot a laser blast at Yuga, who yelped in pain as he was zapped by the Solid Vision lasers (Yuga: 3800 - 1400). "I'm not done, next I enter my Main Phase 2."

"You don't have to announce what phase you're in." Yuga said annoyed. "If you set a card or summon a monster I'll know you aren't in the Battle Phase anymore."

The proctor glared before continuing. "I sacrifice my Helix, which counts as 2 tributes, and my Disk, to summon the Apoqliphort Skybase (2900/2500)!" A huge structure appeared in the place of Helix and Disk.

"Okay, that thing is huge!" Yuga muttered. _And with needing 3 tributes, I get the feeling that thing is NOT friendly._

"Apoqliphort is unaffected by Spell and Trap effects, therefore the pendulum effect of my Qliphort Carrier doesn't affect it." The proctor announced. "Monster effects from monsters whose original level or rank that are lower than 9 won't work on my Skybase either."

 _You're kidding me!_ Yuga thought to himself. _So nothing I throw at it will work, since my highest level and ranked cards are 7!_

"I activate the effect of my Helix that was destroyed." The proctor said. "When it leaves the field, I can destroy one spell or trap card on your side of the field, and I choose your Dragonpit Magician in your Pendulum Zone. I'll end my turn there."

Yuga sighed. _Alright, Yuga, time to think of a way out of this. Nothing I throw at that Skybase will effect it, and with 2900 attack points I don't have any monsters that can scratch it, unless I can use Dark Rebellion's effect to take the attack from that Monolith on his fiend. Cutting 2700 in half will give my Dark Rebellion a total of 3850 attack points! The only card I got in my hand is Enter-Mate Corn, and as adorable as she is… with only 600 attack she won't do a thing, and being a level 3 I can't use her with Wisdom-Eye for an Xyz Summon. Alright deck, give me a good card now…_

Yuga held his breath, drawing a card. He then looked at it and smirked. "Alright, I activate the spell card Pendulum Call! By discarding one card from my hand, like my Enter-Mate Corn, I can add 2 'Magician' Pendulum Monsters with different names from my deck to my hand! I choose the level 4 Dragonpulse Magician, and another Level 7 Dragonpit Magician. Next, I'll set this new Dragonpit Magician in my Pendulum Zone to replace the one you destroyed."

"You still cannot touch my Skybase." The proctor stated.

"Hey, I'm not done." Yuga muttered. "Now, using my set Pendulum Monsters, I Pendulum Summon… from my hand, Dragonpulse Magician (1800/900)! And, from my Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and Wisdom-Eye Magician (1500/1500)! Now, using the level 4 Wisdom-Eye Magician and the level 4 Dragonpulse Magician, I construct the overlay network."

The proctor growled a little. "Of course. He was gathering his monsters not only to Pendulum Summon, but to perform a Xyz Summon."

"Formed from pitch black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuga chanted, with Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon appearing on his field. "I activate Dark Rebellion's effect! By detaching 2 overlay units, I can target one of your monsters and cut its attack points in half. After that, your monster's lost attack points are added to my Dark Rebellion's attack points!"

"You're forgetting that my Skybase is immune to any monster's effect whose level or rank is lower than its level of 9." The proctor said.

"You're forgetting your other monster, Proctor." Yuga smirked. "Now, Dark Rebellion, use your effect on his Qliphort Monolith!" Dark Rebellion roared, sending purple lightning out of his two orbs located on his wings. The lighting surrounded Monolith, draining its power (Monolith: 2700/1000 - 1350/1000, Dark Rebellion: 2500/2000 - 3850/2000). "Now, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack and destroy his Skybase!" Dark Rebellion roared, his spiked chin glowing as he flew forward, slamming into the Skybase, impaling it with his spike before it exploded (Proctor: 3200 - 2250). "Now, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, destroy his Monolith. Normally, an attack on a 1350 monster with a 2500 monster would leave you with 1100 life points, but because my Odd-Eyes's effect doubles any battle damage he does, your life points are going to 0!" Odd-Eyes roared, sending a blast of red energy from his mouth, causing Monolith to explode (Proctor: 2250 - 0).

Yuga Wins!

The proctor withdrew the blade of his duel disk and nodded. "Excellent duel, student. You managed to beat this deck, exactly as the Principal had hoped for."

"Wait, the Principal picked that deck for me?" Yuga asked.

"Indeed I did."

To hear that deep voice shocked Yuga, who turned to see a man he had only seen photographs of. He wore a blue long tailed jacket with black pants, and carried a black cane with him which he used in his left hand. His white hair was neatly combed, as was his white beard. His eyes were a piercing green, and they seemed to look right through Yuga.

"P-Principal Mondo." Yuga stuttered, hearing about the man but never meeting him. Students never usually saw the Principal, as he was very busy managing the school. Most social and student meetings were handed by Takada, the Vice-Principal.

"It's an honor to see you again, sir." The proctor said, bowing.

"I'm glad you are well as well." Principal Mondo said, smiling to the proctor before turning back to Yuga. "Yes, I handpicked that deck for you, unlike the other freshman whose decks were chosen by Takada and the other teachers based on their individual levels of skill."

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, for what reason was I given this special test?" Yuga asked.

"We can talk about that in my office." Principal Mondo said, nodding the proctor before turning and walking away. Yuga blinked a little and followed after him, walking for quite a while before reaching the hallway students were never usually allowed down, which only contained one door. Principal Mondo opened it to reveal a large office with a large deck and a window that took up an entire wall, overlooking the entire campus. Principal Mondo sat down at his deck, turning to smile at Yuga.

"You are one of seven freshman who I tested, Yuga." Principal Mondo explained.

"And the other six?" Yuga asked.

"I'm sure you are familiar with all of them." Principal Mondo smiled. "Ruka Nagai, user of Aromage. Shin Kenyo, the Cyber Dragon and Gadget duelist. Vince Koba, wielder of the legendary Red-Eyes. Asami Ikeda, the Haripe Duelist. Naomi Fujiwara, Lunalight expert. And finally Roku Nagai, Noble Knight Leader."

"Literally all of my friends here… well minus Vince." Yuga muttered.

"Yes, I am aware of the history between you and Vince." Principal Mondo laughing a little. "But he is still one of the seven top freshman here at the school."

"Do you test the top seven students of each year like this, sir?" Yuga asked.

To his surprise, Principal Mondo shook his head. "No. This year was the first year that I decided to do this kind of test."

"Any particular reason?"

"Yuga, not only are you and your friends… and Vince, the top seven freshman here in the school this year so far, you seven also have the dueling potential to be part of the top students overall at this school."

"Seriously!?" Yuga gasped in shock.

Principal Mondo nodded. "As to why I decided to test you like this… well that will have to wait. I do have six other students to explain this too, and you should spend your winter vacation relaxing instead of worrying about the troubles of an old man like me. Off you go now."

XxXxXxX

True to Principal Mondo words, Yuga later met up with Ruka and the others, who also had faced off against some very good decks and were told it was to test the top seven freshman at the school, who had the potential to one day be the best duelists in the school. Also true to what Yuga heard, none of them were given an explanation beyond this, and were left in the dark to the true nature of this extreme test.

"You guys too, huh?" Vince asked, walking up to them. "Yeah I just got done with my test."

"This is all very strange." Roku muttered. "To what purpose could this test have been for? It can't just be to test our skills."

"I feel like this is for something else." Naomi stated. "But what other reason it could be for is beyond me."

"Maybe we're going to duel some seniors when we get back." Yuga suggested, smirking.

"I hope not." Shin weakly said. "I already am shaking after that midterm duel!"

"Whatever reason it's for, they're keeping us in the dark for now." Ruka said. "Let's just try and enjoy our breaks and not worry about it too much."

"I agree." Asami said, smirking. "After all, I can't enjoy my vacation if I'm worrying about why I was challenged like this!"

Yuga had to admit, worrying about the true reason they were tested would make his time at the orphanage easier, but at the same time the seed that there was an alternate reason for this test was planted, and sprouting very quickly.


	14. The Shadow Duels

**Damn, I am on a roll with updating this story! Don't get too used to it, since I got finals coming up I am going to need to start spending a ton of time studying for those. On another note, this is the longest chapter I have written to date! Tons of stuff was added in this chapter, and i could have split it up into two chapters but I decided in the end to keep it all one chapter.**

 **I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing Chapter 13:** **FanOfKings, Draen, and D3lph0xL0v3r**

 **I also accepted two more OC! Thank you Blaze Falcon and EveryDayDueling for the OC Submissions. Also, I STILL have people breaking the OC submission rules! OC are to be PMed, not submitted in a review!**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The month passed by and soon it was January. All the students of Union Duel School were coming back on campus for the second semester of the year. Yuga seemed the happiest among them to be back on campus, and even hugged Ruka upon seeing her, causing the green haired girl to blush so hard that Roku feared she was going to pass out. That entire Sunday Yuga was happy, smiling the greeting everyone he had come across, which even included Vince, who merely huffed and walked off. The next day, classed had resumed, and with that Yuga and his friends found themselves back in Dueling History class, where Takada was teaching them once again.

"I take it you all had a good break?" Takada asked. "Well, I hope that you didn't let your brains turn to mush, because today we are beginning the history of Dueling Schools."

Everyone groaned, and soon the three-hour lecture on how Seto Kaiba began Duel Academy, leading to the foundation of other schools that taught duel monsters, began. Yuga made sure he stayed awake, despite him barely being able to sleep the night before due to his excitement about being back. Finally, the lecture ended, and everyone began heading to the lunch room.

"Despite boring lectures, it is good to be back." Yuga declared, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah, I agree." Shin smiled. "It was nice to be home for a short time, but I missed you guys."

"Speaking of home, what's the latest on Jirou?" Asami asked.

Shin frowned a little. "Surprisingly, my parents said he's no longer angry or… evil. It's almost as if his spirit is broken. It's kinda sad to hear, really."

Silence fell upon them as they entered the lunch line, which was a long and as slow as ever. After they each decided to eat the special of the day, which was chicken and rice, they began heading off to Deck Building Tactics, where they were learning Extra Deck construction, despite almost everyone in the classroom at this point already having an Extra Deck. Finally, it was time for Advanced Summoning Methods, the class they all were anxious to get back to.

"Himura is supposed to be teaching today to announce our next teacher and lessons." Yuga noticed. "But if he's still missing and searching for his deck…"

"I suppose we'd be moving on to the Synchro Teacher, Ms. Toma." Roku stated. "We'll just have to see."

Sure enough, when they entered the classroom Himura was nowhere to be found, and instead an elderly lady with her grey hair up in a bun was at the front of the classroom. She wore a white dress shirt and white dress pants, her piercing coal eyes eyeing the students as they entered the classroom.

 _Why was Jin dressed in all back like an Xyz Monster Card and this lady dressed in all white like a Synchro Monster Card?_ Yuga asked himself.

"Sit." She said as the bell rang. Yuga obeyed at once, telling instantly that this lady was strict.

"As of today…" Toma said. "I will begin teaching you the basics and art of Synchro Summoning, a tactic of summoning developed around the time the Duel Runners became wide spread. By the time we are done with our lessons in early March, I expect all of you to have enough knowledge in Synchro Summoning to be able to perform one on request. Now, let's begin by testing your knowledge. Who here knows what is required to conduct a proper Synchro?"

To no one's surprise, as they had Synchro's in their decks and knew how to use them, both Roku and Ruka raised their hands. Toma pointed to Ruka, who cleared his throat before speaking. "To Synchro Summon, your deck needs not only the Synchro Monster in your Extra Deck, but Tuner Monsters in your Main Deck."

"Correct." Toma said, turning to Roku. "And how would one Synchro Summon?"

"You have to have the Tuner and one or more non-Tuners on your field." Roku stated. "In order to Synchro Summon properly, the levels of the Tuner and any monster you are using in the Synchro Summon must be added to equal the monster you are attempting to Synchro Summon from your Extra Deck."

"That is correct." Toma said. "Of course, some Synchro Monsters have different methods. Some require you to Synchro Summon with a non-Tuner Synchro Monster, while there are one or two monsters that require the use of two Tuners, which is known as Double Tuning."

"We're going to have a contest at the end of the lessons right?" Shin asked. "To win a powerful Synchro Monster."

Toma glared. "Next time, please raise your hand… but yes, you will. Unlike Jin, however, you will not see this monster till it is time for the contest, but I assure you, like Yuga's Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, this monster can find a home in almost any deck."

At that, Yuga's deck seemed to glow. Taking it out, he found both Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon glowing this time. Almost instantly, Yuga seemed to know what kind of card they were going for, and that he needed to win it, much like he needed to win Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. Toma continued to lecture about Synchro Monsters for a while until the bell rang.

"Just a moment!" Toma shouted, her voice calming down the uproar of students getting up at once. "The following students are to report to Principal Mondo's office at once; Yuga Suzuki, Roku and Ruka Nagai, Shin Kenyo, Vince Koba, Naomi Fujiwara and Asami Ikeda!"

Several students let out an "ooo" as Toma finished reading their names. Yuga looked at his fellow named classmates in confused. Usually, no student was ever called to the Principal's office, as Takada handled mostly everything, including punishments. Knowing that they had to go no matter what, Yuga headed out of the classroom and instead of heading to the Gym like everyone else, he and his six classmates began heading towards the hallway that no one ever used.

"What do you think this is about?" Yuga asked.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the midterm duel we had last semester." Naomi guessed.

"I believe that is the case." Roku nodded. "After all, we were the only seven tested beyond normal levels."

They stopped just outside the door. Sighing to himself, Yuga raised his fist and gave it three sharp knocks. A voice from the inside said "Enter", and Yuga turned the handle and pushed the door open. Inside, Yuga could see Principal Mondo sitting at his desk, who looked up and gave the seven students a smile as they entered. "Ah, there you are!" Principal Mondo warmly said. "How are your first day of classes going?"

"We can't complain." Asami replied.

"Why are we here, Prof?" Vince said.

"Vince, be nice!" Ruka snapped.

"It's quite alright, I am sure all seven of you are very curious as to why I summoned you here." Principal Mondo said, which everyone nodded to. "Now, I recall testing the seven of you harder than every other student here at the end of last semester. Well, this was because I got a feeling that I needed defenders."

"Defenders?" Roku asked. "Why would you need defenders?"

"I believe showing you this will be all the info you need." Principal Mondo said, clicking a remote. To their left, a large screen descended on the wall, turning on. Some static was on the television screen before a familiar masked man appeared on the screen.

"That's the Masked Freak I dueled at Homecoming!" Ruka said.

"Hello, my old friend." The Masked Man said. "I regret to inform you that the information that I stole from your database two months ago has come in handy to me. You see, I found the secret of Union Duel School!"

"The secret?" Vince asked. "What secret?"

"If you are watching this, then your worst fears are about to be realized." The Masked Man said. "Because I know about the seal protecting the three cards hidden underneath the school, and I know the keys to unlocking the sealed door lies in your office. But since I am merciful, I am giving you till the night of the second semesters beginning to find your defenders. After that, I will begin sending my forces to assault the school. Till then, Principal Mondo."

With that, the screen went blank and began withdrawing into the ceiling. Roku turned and looked at Principal Mondo, who was watching the screen ascend into the ceiling. "So what is he talking about, three cards?"

"This school exists for two purposes." Principal Mondo stated. "The first is, of course, to teach young students like yourself about Duel Monsters. The second reason is a much darker reason, and it has to do with the seven founders of this school. You see, before this academy was founded, three dark cards existed free in this world. They were known collectively as… The Wicked God Cards."

"Yikes." Ruka muttered.

 _Why does this sound like an arc of some other YuGuOh Anime?_ Yuga thought to himself, before that thought was wiped from history due to breaking the fourth wall. Instead, Yuga now said. "Whoa."

"Due to their power, which almost rivaled the Three Gods of Egypt themselves, they were sealed by the seven founders, and this school was built to hide them away, as well as keep the seal save." Principal Mondo explained. "The seven founders each etched a rune into the door, creating a hexagram seal, six runes on the points, one in the center. Finally, they created a stone tablet with the key rune, making sure that the stone tablet containing the keys was safely hidden in the Principal's office once the school was constructed."

"So why do we need to defend the sealed door if the keys are here?" Shin asked.

"Because, if anyone were to get their hands on that stone tablet, all seven keys could instantly be taken by seven powerful duelists, and used to unlock the door. However, as a secondary defense, the runic seal keys have a special ritual attached to them, one which was also noted in the files stolen from us. If the seven runic seal keys are taken by seven defending duelists, then the only way to take the runic keys is to win them in a duel."

"One person per key." Naomi muttered. "But can't the Masked Man just send duelist after duelist at us until he eventually wins the keys?"

"Thankfully for us, that doesn't appear to be the case." Principal Mondo explained. "This Masked individual sent a letter along with the video tape, indicating that he's turning this into a game… he said that he will only send seven associates to attack us, to make this a seven on seven war. He also goes on to explain if his seven associates win the keys, or he finds a way an alternative way to break the seal before we defeat them, then we are given one final chance to defend ourselves, by dueling the Three Wicked God Cards themselves."

"This guy is nuts." Asami muttered.

"But I still don't understand why it's the seven of us?" Ruka asked. "We're just freshman, wouldn't seven juniors or seniors be better for this, or even the teachers?"

Principal Mondo nodded. "Like I said before, you seven are skilled enough to be our top duelists. On top of that, I figured that this Masked Man would target the teachers, seniors and juniors first, before thinking of seeking the freshman. I understand if you do not wish to accept this, but I believe you seven are the best choices to protect this school, but stealth wise in fooling the Shadow Duelists into thinking the freshman don't have the seal keys, and to duel these fiends in case they do find out. Like I said before, you seven may only be freshman, but you already have the potential to be among the school's top duelists!"

Principal Mondo then opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a stone tablet, where Yuga saw a hexagram on it with kanji written on each of the six pointed star's points, followed by a single kanji in the center of the star. Reading it carefully, he saw each kanji that was on a point matched a monster attribute: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Dark and Light. The seventh kanji stood out to Yuga the most, as it was the kanji for 'Heart'.

"Each one is literally a monster attribute." Roku noted, having seen it too. "But the seventh one just says 'Heart'."

"Divine was unable to be used in the seal." Principal Mondo explained. So they used 'Heart' to represent the heart of the duelist. Now, in order to take a seal, one must place their hand on the tablet, and a seal will be granted to you. So… will you take up this fight, and defend our school against these Shadow Duelists?"

Everyone remained silent for a while, until Yuga smiled, stepping forward and placing his hand on the tablet. Suddenly, his right hand glowed, and the kanji for 'Heart' appeared on the back of his right hand. "Count me in!" Yuga said. "I won't let you down, Principal!"

Next to step forward was Roku. He placed his hand on the tablet, and the Kanji for 'Earth' appeared on his hand. "I accept as well."

Ruka stepped forth next, placing her hand on the tablet and gaining the kanji for 'Water' on the back of her hand. "I will defend the school as well."

Vince was next, stepping forward and placing his hand on the tablet, gaining the kanji for 'Dark'. "Well if Yuga accepts this, then I too accept. Plus, I do have to defend my darling Ruka.

Ruka glared, as Naomi stepped forward next, placing her hand on the tablet and gaining the kanji for 'Fire'. "It would be my honor to defend the school."

Asami nodded, stepping forward and gaining the kanji for 'Wind'. "Then I shall accept as well."

Finally, Shin was the only one that remained. Eveyrone turned to look at him. Shin gulped and finally stepped forward, gaining the kanji for 'Light' when he touched the tablet. "Well alright… but I hope you guys, and I for that matter, aren't nuts for doing this."

Principal Mondo nodded at each one of them. "Thank you for accepting this task. I will trust in all of you to defend us."

"Wait." Naomi said, looking at her hand with the kanji on it, then to her friends hands. "Won't they tell we are the defenders right away because of this kanji on our hands?"

Principal Mondo smirked. "The funny thing about that is that the ritual only allows those who know for sure you have that seal key on your hand to see the kanji. Since I know you have it for sure, and you of course know that each one of you has it, you can see it. However, your fellow students, and more importantly the Shadow Duelists, cannot see the seal… that is unless they figure out you have it of course."

Though unsure of this fact, the seven freshman only nodded in response before being dismissed by Principal Mondo, but they soon found out that his words were true. Everyone they ran into that day couldn't tell a single thing was different about them, even when they made attempts to draw the students eyes to their right hands. Yuga did notice, however, that Takada seemed to notice the seals, as he looked at each of their hands in turn, looking grim.

"You think Principal Mondo let Takada know this was going to happen?" Yuga asked.

"No doubt." Vince muttered. "Takada is basically the real principal here after all, he knows everything."

"Let's just hope information about this doesn't get leaked around the school." Naomi whispered. "I don't want extra attention on us because of all this."

Each of the students were in agreement there, and soon they all decided to head to their individual dorms for the night. Because it was the first day back, they didn't have any homework, but they still had their own assignment on guarding the seal keys. That evening into the night, each of them sat down and began looking through and arranging their deck, making sure their cards were in order. Finally, Yuga let out a loud yawn. "Alright, bed time!"

"How can you sleep?" Shin asked in surprise. "I mean we can be attacked at any time!"

Yuga just shrugged. "Well, I'm sure they will wake us up to duel us, so I am not too worried about it. Well… goodnight Shin!"

"Yeah… goodnight." Shin muttered, but before Yuga could even take off his clothes to put on his pajamas, a soft dark laughter was heard.

"Who's there?" Yuga asked, turning around suddenly towards the door.

"D-d-don't tell me, it's a…" Shin muttered.

"A shadow duelist?" A voice said from the other side of the door. "Well, you'd be right."

Suddenly, darkness began seeping through the cracks in the door rapidly. Before they knew it, darkness was enveloping them, Yuga soon unable to see anything because the darkness had covered him entirely. Suddenly, the darkness vanished, and Yuga found himself standing on the flat rooftop of the dorms with Shin, Roku, Ruka, Vince, Asami and Naomi.

"Whoa… he got you guys too?" Yuga asked.

"What is going on?" Roku asked, looking around wildly.

"The first duel of this game is going on." The voice said. Yuga turned to see a tall man wearing a black trench coat standing there. His brown hair was un-kept and his hazel eyes eyed the seven freshman like he was stalking his pray. "I am Aku, one of the seven Shadow Duelists, and I am here for the first of the seven runic seal keys we are to collect."

"Wait, how do you know we have them?" Ruka demanded. "We are just freshman; why would we have the seals?"

Aku chucked. "You really think when our leader was here, he was only here for the documentation on the sealed cards? No, we placed cameras all through the school! We witnessed the seals taken from the tablet in the office, and we know it is the seven of you that have them!"

"Well, shit." Vince muttered. "Guess the good ole' Principal screw this one, huh?"

"So these guys have been spying on us for a while!?" Asami said, shivering a little. "Creeper alert!"

"This is hardly the time to be worried about them being creepy, and more like time to worry about the seal keys." Naomi stated.

"As for my opponent, I think I'll challenge… Yuga!" Aku shouted.

"Why me?" Yuga asked.

"Because I can sense it." Aku said, smelling the air. "The darkness is strong within you, as it is within me."

"Darkness?" Yuga asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll soon find out, for we will be playing within the darkness of the shadows." Aku laughed evilly. "That's right, little Yuga, we are not having an ordinary duel, but a Shadow Game, where your very life is forfeit. In this game, you will have to use that darkness of yours if you even hope of defeating me!"

"Okay, this guy is on drugs." Vince muttered.

"But he's still a Shadow Duelist." Roku stated. "And Yuga's seal key is on the line."

"Ah, Yuga can handle him no problem." Shin stated.

"Alright fine, you're on, weirdo!" Yuga said, activating his duel disk while Aku took out his black duel disk and activated a purple blade.

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Aku: 4000

"I'll start this duel." Yuga declared. "I'll set my scale 1 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and my scale 8 Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon into my Pendulum Zones, which allows me to summon multiple monsters between levels 2 and 7! Now, I Pendulum Summon from my hand… Level 4, Dragonpulse Magician (1800/900)! Level 4, Enter-Mate Uni (800/1500)! And Level 7, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500/2000)!"

"Yuga doesn't have any more cards in his hand…" Shin muttered.

"Quite an unlucky break, only getting monster cards like that." Roku replied.

"I hope he knows what he is doing." Ruka replied.

"I overlay the Level 4 Dragonpulse Magician and the Level 4 Enter-Mate Uni to construct the overlay network!" Yuga announced. "Formed from pitch black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

Dark Rebellion appeared on the field, and he and Odd-Eyes let out a loud roar at the same time. Aku smirked upon seeing the two dragons, placing his fingertips on his duel disk. "Then it is my turn, since you cannot do anything else. Draw!" Aku drew, smirking at the card he pulled. "I'll begin by activating the card known as Everliving Underworld Cannon!" He placed the card in his duel pad, and a large cannon made entirely of bones, with a giant skull as the front appeared on his side of the field.

"What does that card do?" Vince asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a continuous spell card that deals 800 life points of damage to Yuga every time his opponent special summons a Zombie type monster." Roku replied. "Not a good sign. I am guessing this guy plays a Zombie Burn style deck."

"Next, I activate the spell card, Cup of Ace." Aku said. "This magical cup will randomly choose one of us, and that person will be allowed to draw two cards." Suddenly a golden cup appeared on his side of the field, and he smirked. "Wonderful, that's two cards for me."

"He got out that burn spell, and replenished his hand back to how it was when the turn began." Asami muttered. "This isn't looking good."

"Now I activate my Call of the Mummy magic card! This continuous magic card allows me to special summon a Zombie type monster once per turn, as long as no monsters are on my side of the field. Since there are none, I will use this card to special summon my Burning Skull Head (1000/800)!" Aku declared. A flaming skull appeared on his side of the field. "And now his special effect activates. When he is special summoned to my field, my opponent instantly takes 1000 points of damage! In addition, my Everliving Underworld Cannon activates, because I special summoned a Zombie type monster, dealing you 800 more damage!"

The skull laughed ominously, a steam of fire shooting from his mouth. Yuga yelled in pain as the fire scorched him, taking a knee when it stopped (Yuga: 4000 - 3000). Then, he looked up to see the large cannon charging, before firing a blast of purple light at Yuga, causing him to yell in pain again (Yuga: 3000 - 2200).

"Yuga!" Ruka called in a panic.

"I don't get it." Naomi muttered. "Despite being Solid Vision, those attacks shouldn't have hurt Yuga that much… looking at him now, he can barely stand back up."

Aku chuckled at this. "It's like I said earlier. This is no ordinary duel; this is a shadow game! The monsters we summon are not Solid Vision holograms, they are real!"

"That's impossible!" Vince shouted. "Shadow Games are just the stuff of legend! They aren't actually real!"

Aku smirked again. "Is that so? I believe your friend over there would disagree. The pain was real, was it not?" Yuga growled, struggling to get to his feet. Aku continued to smirk, enjoying the sight. "Now, I will use my normal summon to call another Burning Skull Head to my field! Just be thankful his special effect only activates when I special summon him. Now, I'll spare you torment for now by placing two cards facedown."

Yuga stood fully up, drawing in a breath as he drew a card from his deck. "My move!"

"Yuga's going to go through with this duel?" Shin asked in shock.

"What choice does he have?" Vince asked. "We need to protect the runic seals to the door from these guys, and if Yuga surrenders he loses his rune seal key. He's got no choice."

Yuga looked down at the sole card in his hand, the one he drew. _This could be helpful, but right now I don't think I should play it. Best if I keep it for later._ "Alright, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack his first Burning Skull! Because his effect doubles the damage he does, your about to get hit for 3000 points of damage!"

Aku smirked, pressing his duel pad screen. "I activate a trap, Spellbinding Circle! This trap not only cancels your attack, but it equips itself on your monster. Your monster cannot attack or change battle position."

Yuga growled at this. "Very well, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack!"

"But I was ready for him too!" Aku shouted, pressing his duel pad screen again. "Activate trap, Fiendish Chain! When this card equips itself onto Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, he cannot attack or activate his special effects!"

Yuga hissed a little before looking down. "I… end my turn."

"Yuga…" Ruka muttered to herself in worry.

"This is not looking good at all; this guy has Yuga trapped!" Shin shouted.

"Yeah, and if Yuga doesn't think of a way out of this fast, that guy is going to take control of this duel quick!" Naomi stated.

"Like I said, Yuga, to defeat me you have to channel your darkness." Aku whispered seductively. "You must use your inner dark power to defeat me."

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Yuga snapped.

"Oh? But I think you do, and I will force you to bring your darkness to the surface!" Aku shouted, drawing a card. "I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards! Next, I sacrifice my two Burning Skull Heads to summon my level 8 Skull Flame (2600/2000)!" A giant lich looking skeleton creature appeared on his field, covered in flames and a black robe.

"That thing is powerful, be careful Yuga!" Ruka warned.

"Now I activate my Skull Flame's special effect!" Aku announced. "I can special summon my third Burning Skull Head to the field, as long as I sacrifice my Skull Flames ability to attack this turn. Come forth, my Burning Skull Head!" The flaming skull appeared on the field, laughing as his eye holes glowed red. "And you are aware of what happens now, right? My skull's special effect takes 1000 life points from you since he was special summoned, along with my Everliving Underworld Cannon dealing an additional 800 points of damage!"

The skull laughed as his fire began flaring up, as the cannon charged its purple blast of energy. The two attacks launched at once, hitting Yuga and sending him flying backwards as he yelled in pain (Yuga: 2200 - 400).

"Yuga!" Ruka, Naomi and Asami shouted in worry at the same time.

"This isn't a duel…" Roku muttered. "This is torture."

"This is the power we're facing?" Shin asked in fear.

"This is the power of the Shadow Duelists that are after the Wicked Gods." Vince growled. "If they're this powerful now… how powerful can they be with the power of those three cards?"

Aku stepped forward so the gap between them was like it was before, glaring down at Yuga, who was gasping for air. "I now activate the spell card, Comet Star Blaster!" Aku declared. "By reducing my Skull Flame's level by two, I can destroy two of your spells or traps, including Pendulum Zone monsters, so I'll destroy your Persona and Mirage Dragon! Now… Get up. We aren't finished with this duel yet, seal defender." Yuga hissed in pain, standing up slowly. Aku smirked. "Yes, fight me. Get angry, unleash your darkness! It's the only way you can win!"

"I told you already…" Yuga panted, glaring at Aku. "I… don't know what you are talking about! And even if I did, I wouldn't know how to 'unleash my darkness'!"

Aku frowned. "You only having one card in your hand, no Pendulum Monsters in your Pendulum Zones, two useless trapped monsters, and 400 life points. Your darkness should be crawling to the surface to save you from your grim situation, yet it is not... Very well, I will force your darkness out of you with threats."

With a sudden snap of his fingers, a dark portal appeared in front of him. Suddenly, everyone gasped, and Yuga looked over to where they were standing to see Ruka had vanished. Yuga then looked wide-eyed in front of him to see Ruka standing in front of Aku, terrified, as Aku held a knife to her throat.

"RUKA!" Yuga shouted, stepping forward. "Leave her out of this, Aku!"

"I'm afraid that I cannot, if I want to see your inner dark power." Aku growled, the knife getting closer to Ruka's throat. "Now, unleash your darkness or she dies!"

"Leave my sister alone, Aku!" Roku screamed.

"That's too far!" Asami and Naomi shouted.

"Ruka!" Vince and Shin shouted.

"Aku…" Yuga growled. "If you hurt her I swear to you…"

"You'll do what? In your state, you can do nothing. Now, give me what I want or the girl will die!" Aku smirked, pressing the knife against Ruka's throat, and a single drop of blood started running down the knife.

That was the breaking point, and something within him snapped. Yuga roared in anger, a sudden burst of darkness growing from his body like an aura. Aku smirked, pulling his knife away to reveal the cut he made with it on Ruka's throat, before pushing her away back towards the others. Ruka stumbled and fell to the ground, Roku running forward to help her up and pull her away. Ruka looked up, terrified as she started at Yuga, who's entire body was surrounded by the large back aura, his head high in the air as he roared loudly. Yuga finally stopped yelling, looking slowly down at Aku. Everyone gasped at the sight. Yuga's normal golden eyes were now changed; his right eye's iris was glowing a purplish crimson color while his left eye's iris was glowing a greenish blue, like Odd-Eyes's eyes, with white pupils instead of black ones. His hair was also spiked more upwards, his four bangs more pronounced.

"Finally…" Aku muttered. "This is your darkness, your true nature."

"Y-Yuga?" Ruka muttered, her voice shaking. Yuga was glaring at Aku, and Ruka could sense the kind boy she knew was no longer present. She gasped as she suddenly noticed Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon were roaring on the field in anger, as if receiving the same dark power that Yuga was unleashing.

"My turn." Yuga said drawing a card, his voice had become deeper. "I set the scale 3 Xiangke Magician and the scale 8 Xiangsheng Magician into my Pendulum Zones!"

"Wait, but now he doesn't have any cards in his hand again!" Naomi gasped.

"Yuga… what are you doing?" Roku muttered. "You can't Pendulum Summon anything."

Shin remained silent, looking on in horror at his best friend. Yuga let out a growl, his voice becoming louder. "I activate the Pendulum effect of my Xiangsheng Magician! Once per turn, she allows me to target one Xyz Monster and one Level 5 or higher monster on my side of the field, and change that Xyz Monster's rank to match the level of the monster I target. I target Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, I grant you a rank of 7!"

"Wait, what!?" Roku gasped, shocked.

"Since when did Yuga have the ability to do that?" Vince said.

"The question is though…" Asami muttered.

"…what is he doing to do with that new rank?" Naomi finished for her.

"I next activate the Pendulum Effect of my Xiangke Magician!" Yuga roared. "Once per turn, I can use any Xyz Monster I want as material in an Xyz Summon, using it's rank as though it was a level. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, I bestow upon you the level of 7!"

"Wait, so now he can use them in a Rank 7 Xyz Summon!" Shin gasped.

"Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon." Naomi nodded.

"No…" Roku muttered, watching Yuga. "Something tells me he's going for something more powerful than that."

"Using the level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and the level 7 Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, I construct the overlay network!" Yuga announced, his two monsters flying into the portal.

Aku grinned as his eyes got a crazy gleam to them. "Yes, I sense your true darkness is in that monster you are summoning!"

 _Yuga's… true darkness!?_ Ruka thought in horror.

"Mighty duel-eyed dragon, dragon of pitch black darkness, combine your powers into one fearsome beast! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 7! Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon! (3000/2500)" Yuga chanted, as a fearsome looking dragon appeared on the field. It looked like Odd-Eyes Pendulum, except completely black with two sharp chin spikes. Large wings were on Odd-Eyes Rebellion's back, looking like they could split apart like Dark Rebellion's did. The monster let out a menacing roar, sending shock waves in every direction.

"W-w-what is that thing!?" Shin asked in fear.

"Yuga's newest monster, I guess." Vince muttered. "But who would have thought it was something like this!?"

"Your Spellbinding Circle and Fiendish Chain traps are now destroyed! Now... Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon's special effect." Yuga growled in anger. "When he is Xyz Summoned using an Xyz Monster as material, any level 7 or lower monster in your monster zone is destroyed, and you take 1000 points of damage for each one! Disappear!" Odd-Eyes Rebellion roared, his wings splitting as he charged forward, slamming into Skull Flame and Burning Skull Head, vaporizing them. Aku growled in pain as he received damage (Aku: 4000 - 2000).

"Reducing his Skull Flame's level backfired on him, in more ways than one." Roku muttered.

"It's over now." Vince noted. "His field is empty."

Yuga roared out, holding up his hand. "Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon, attack! End this duel!" Odd-Eyes Rebellion flew forward, slamming into Aku and causing him to scream out in pain (Aku: 2000 - 0).

Yuga Wins!

The duel ended as Aku flew back, skidding on the roof a bit upon finally landing just inches from the edge of the roof. Yuga's eyes closed as he collapsed, hitting the ground. Ruka screamed out to him, running over and turning him over, seeing he was unconscious. Everyone else walked over, before looking over at where Aku was, only to find the man was no longer there.

"Shin, call the police!" Ruka commanded at once. "Roku and Vince, help get Yuga downstairs. We need to get him to the nurse's office, quickly!"

XxXxXxX

"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with Yuga." The nurse said. "He's just exhausted."

"Oh, that's a relief." Ruka sighed, as the nurse next walked over to her with an ointment.

"This cut isn't too deep." The nurse stated. "All we need to do is disinfect it and you'll be okay. But what happened anyway? Why haven't you guys said anything?"

Roku spoke up. "We need to talk to either Principal Mondo or Professor Takada."

"Well you're in luck then." Takada's voice said, as they turned to see him entering the nurse's office. "I am here; now explain to me what happened."

With a deep breath, Roku began retelling the events that happened that night, from the darkness coming to swallow them up to the Shadow Game that Yuga dueled in. When he got to the part where Ruka was held at knife point, the green haired girl began crying a bit. Roku told Takada the rest, how Yuga activated a weird dark power and took out Aku in a single turn after summoning his new monster.

"I see." Takada muttered. "I knew giving these keys to freshman wasn't a good idea. The teachers should have been the ones to uphold this task, not the students. I told Principal Mondo this, but the old fool wouldn't listen to me at all!"

"Professor, what do you think happened to Aku?" Ruka asked.

"You need not worry about that right now." Takada stated. "We are looking into the manner, and the police are heading to the rooftop to investigate. Why don't you guys get back to your dorms. I'm sure you are all in need of a night's rest. Don't worry, I feel as though the Shadow Duelists won't strike again tonight."

Ruka looked at Yuga. "Actually, is it okay if I remain here for the night? I want to keep an eye on Yuga."

"Sure." The nurse said, nodding. "He just needs some rest, but you are welcome to stay if you wish."

"If he was indeed in an actual Shadow Game, then it might have also taken a toll on his body." Takada stated. "On top of that, unleashing that dark power of his must have also taken its toll. We should clear out so he can rest."

Everyone else left the room, looking back before leaving. Shin actually stopped in the doorway to look at Yuga, but soon left just like the others. Ruka looked over at Yuga, smiling softly. Getting off the bed she was sitting on, she walked over to Yuga's bed, sitting down on it, holding his hand. To her surprise, the second she touched his hand, Yuga stirred and opened his eyes slowly, groaning as he did. Ruka sighed in relief, seeing they were back to being golden in color.

"Ruka? W…what happened?" Yuga muttered weakly. "Where's Aku?"

"Wait, you don't remember what happened?" Ruka asked. When Yuga shook his head, she sighed, retelling everything that happened after blood was drawn from her neck. When she was finished, Yuga was looking at her stunned.

"I did that?" Yuga asked, his voice still weak. Ruka nodded, and Yuga let out a groan. "So that's what he was talking about… Ruka, I am sorry you had to see that… I had no idea that I even could do that… or had darkness in me."

Ruka shook her head. "It wasn't your fault, Yuga. But let's get some rest, I'm spending the night in here too, so I'll keep you company."

"That's a good idea." Yuga muttered, yawning. "I feel like I got hit by a truck."

Ruka smiled, tears forming in her eyes out of joy that her friend seemed back to normal. She bent down, wrapping her arms around Yuga in a soft hug, which the tired boy weakly returned. "Thanks for saving me, Yuga." Ruka whispered, before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. The blushing boy watched as she pulled away and walked off to the bathroom to change into the pajamas provided by the nurse's office. Yuga blinked and stared at the bathroom door for a bit before looking up at the ceiling, his brain thinking a million thoughts before tiredness took over him and he feel back asleep.

* * *

 **Yes, yes, I know this is pretty much just like the Shadow Riders/Sacred Beast arc from YuGiOh GX... but hey I plan on making my arc better then that one... if that counts for anything.** **Don't worry, the other arcs of this story should be a bit more unique, if that makes it any better.**

 **Before anyone mentions it in a review, Comet Star Blaster is indeed a fan card made by me, much like the Action Cards in Chapter 6. It's effect would read as follows if it was a real card: Decrease one monster's level by 2 that is on your side of the field** **until that monster is removed from the field. Destroy two magic or trap cards on your opponents side of the field. You may only activate this card if every monster's level on your side of the field is equal to it's original level.**

 **Speaking of Action Cards, there will be Action Dueling later in the story, so don't worry.**

 **Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! More are to come!**


	15. Imperial March

**Alright, guys, time for a little disclaimer action. So, I am done with school, but the bad news is I am going on a powerful medication for my skin known as Isotretinoin. The medication is known for having various side effects, fatigue among them, so there are chances that updates will be delayed and take awhile, just like how they did when I was in school. I apologize for this and I hope everyone is understanding of this. I am still getting some people who are begging me to update the story ASAP and that stuff. Like I said before guys, if I rush updates they won't be as good. It's better if I take my time writing. I again quote** **Shigeru Miyamoto: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."**

 **Just replace game with "Story chapter"**

 **Anyway, welcome to Chapter 15! I would like to thank the following for Chapter 14 reviews:** **FanOfKings, Draen, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, Natalie (Guest), Raygha Raikouga, pokemonking0924 and Nirvash Neo. I love how many of you are guessing what's going to happen next. Makes me feel like I'm doing a good job when I leave my fans wondering just what might happen next. That being said, I hope I did an OK job on this chapter. To be completely honest, I wasn't quite sure how to handle the duel, so I just hope that turned out okay.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The next morning, rumors had already begun to spread about the events of last night. Some were very close to the truth, with students saying things like Yuga was in a rough duel with a bad person who injured him, others going as far as saying that Ruka purposefully stayed in the hospital to take advantage of an injured Yuga, with him dueling enemies such as The King of Games.

"What the hell goes through these people's minds?!" Ruka replied, her hand pinkish after slapping a boy who confronted her about this rumor. "I mean, what did they expect me to do? Dress up in a nurse's outfit and take advantage of you?"

Yuga, unable to stop his over activate imagination, blushed a bright red, turning away from Ruka before she saw. Since he was unable to attend his first class, the two of them were heading to the lunch room now in order to meet up with their friends and to show them that Yuga was okay, but weak.

"You feeling alright, though?" Ruka said, looking at him in worry. "You got bags under your eyes and you seem shaky."

"Honestly, I don't think I'll be able to do much more then walk around for a while. I think that Shadow Game took a lot out of me, and it wasn't just that..." Yuga replied, his breath already a little ragged just from walking. He sighed, pulling out Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon from his extra deck and looking at it. "What happened to me during that duel? And what is this card anyway?"

Ruka watched him with worry before she realized they had entered the lunch room, Yuga putting the card away quickly before they got in line, got their food, and meet their friends at the lunch table, where Vince was surprisingly also waiting for them.

"Yuga!" Everyone gasped at once upon seeing him.

"How are you feeling?" Naomi asked.

"Weak… but overall I'm okay." Yuga replied, sitting down. "Sorry if I scared you guys… I honestly don't know what happened to me…"

"It's okay." Roku replied. "We can always figure that out later, but we got other things to worry about right now."

Shin seemed a little uncomfortable to be sitting next to Yuga, but his roommate seemed to understand. After all, Shin's brother had displayed very aggressive behavior in the past while dueling, and seeing Yuga displaying the same kind of behavior was not a sight he was wanting to see again.

"The question is, what's going to happen now?" Vince asked. "We beat one of the Shadow Duelists, and I don't think they're going to take this defeat lying down. I think we should be ready for another duel… tonight."

"You really think they'll strike again so soon?" Naomi asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they did." Roku stated. "One of our members is weakened, and I guarantee you they purposefully planned that battle for one reason… to test us with their weakest member."

"That guy was their weakest member!?" Shin gasped, snapping out of his worry state.

"That's my hypothesis anyway." Roku muttered. "You never send your strongest out first in a war, nor is it advised you do the same in duel monsters… I think they sent that guy to test us, and the true fight will begin now."

With that in the back of their minds, the duelists ate in absolute silence, each one of them worried about what would come next for them.

XxXxXxX

"Aku has failed us." The Masked Man said, pacing in a dark room full of shadowed figures. "Though that is still within our plans… now that Yuga has been weakened, one of their significant duelists is down for the count. The time to strike is now!"

"I vote my daughter go next." A charming woman's voice said boldly. "Wouldn't you agree, honey?"

"Y-yes mother." A teenage girl's voice replied, though it had a tone of unconference in it.

"Oh please." Spoke a teenage male. "If anyone should go, it's me! I could take them all on at once and win."

"Your over confidence is sticking out like a nail on a coffin." An average sized man, also wearing a mask, spoke. A hint of foreign signs tainted his speech. "What is that saying spoken in your time? The nail that sticks up the tallest is hammered down first?"

"Enough!" The masked man roared, before the teenage male member and the foreign sounding masked member could exchange blows. "Do not let your pride as a duelist cloud your judgement. I assembled this team knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and I think the best person to go… is Vader… would you not agree, Vader?"

 _That name isn't a rip off something else._ Everyone sarcastically thought, as a cloaked man who had yet to speak stepped forward. "It would be my honor, my lord."

"So the Star Wars guy goes next?" The teenage boy spoke, huffing.

"Vader, while the alias name is unoriginal, does possess a unique power that I feel will weaken our opponents significantly." The Masked Man muttered. "Using this power, I believe our little defending duelists will crumble from the inside out… Vader, strike tonight! We might get them while Yuga is weakened."

"Yes, my lord."

XxXxXxX

"So last time, we were sucked into a dimensional portal that transported us to the roof of the dorms." Ruka asked, pacing in her brother's room. "How will they strike this time?"

Silence fell upon her friends (and Vince) as they all watched the girl pace back and forth for a while. Eventually, Roku spoke up. "Ruka, relax. If you pace too much you're going to exhaust yourself."

"The guy I dueled seemed to have knowledge in dark magic." Yuga muttered. "Unless all of the Shadow Duelists have that same knowledge, I doubt we're going to be kidnapped in a similar manner again."

"Maybe they'll be nice and give us a call?" Asami asked.

"I doubt they'll be that nice." Vince chuckled, looking at Asami with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously, if it isn't fashion, phones or boys you have no clue."

"Excuse me, Vince?" Asami growled, narrowing her eyes. "If you recall the Principal yesterday, each one of us has the potential to represent this school as one of the top duelists, which includes me."

"Yeah, top." Vince mocked. "Though some of us clearly outrank others in this room."

"Enough." Roku shouted. "We must be alert, and not turn on each other over trivial details."

"Trivial!?" Asami practically went hysterical. "Vince just insulted me, how is that trivial!?"

She was interrupted, however, by her duel pad suddenly buzzing. After a moment, everyone else noticed their duel pads were buzzing as well. At once, they all hit answer to hear a deep voice talking through their duel pad to them. "Seal Defenders. Meet me down at the docks at 2000 hours. I'll be waiting for a chance to take your seals."

"Ha!" Asami stuck her tongue out at Vince. "They DID give us a call!"

"Much politer then just simply kidnapping us, I will admit." Ruka muttered as she ignored Asami and Vince practically shooting lasers out of their eyes at each other. "2000 hours, which means 8 pm… that's four hours from now."

"Then I guess we got out answer as to how these challenges will be issued." Roku muttered.

"Now the only question is what is in store for us once we got down to the docks." Naomi stated.

"Uh, guys?" Shin strained, holding Vince and Asami apart. "Can someone help?"

The next four hours ticked by slowly, with Asami and Vince completely ignoring each other for the duration of that time. Countless attempts were made by Naomi and Shin to get them to make up, but none of them worked. Vince stood by his claims, while Asami was determined to prove them wrong at any cost. Eventually, the gang began making their way to the docks of the city, with Asami in the lead and then others following along, with Roku and Ruka hanging in the back with Yuga, who insisted on coming along despite his weakened state.

"Ah, there you are." The cloaked figure waiting for them spoke in his deep voice. "You may call me Vader, and before you say anything, I think my name is awesome!"

"Star Wars rip." Vince muttered.

"Shut up!" Vader shouted. "You know why I am here, so how about it… who seeks to challenge me and get their seal taken."

"I'll challenge you." Asami declared, before anyone else could say anything.

"Wait, Asami!" Naomi stated to say.

"No." Asami cut her off. "I have to do this… not only because we have to stop these guys, but I have to do this to prove myself… okay, maybe I am obsessed with fashion, boys, phones… and boys… but there's one more thing I am obsessed with, and I am pretty damn good at it…" At that, Asami took out her duel pad and activated it, placing her deck into the duel pad and glaring at Vader with determination. "Dueling!"

Everyone was speechless at this as they stepped back. Vader chucked, taking his arm out of the black cloak to reveal his black uniform and a black duel pad. When the blade ignited, it was a deep red color. "Then you'll be my first victim, Asami. Come."

"Duel!"

Asami: 4000 vs Vader: 4000

"I'll make the first move!" Asami declared. "I activate the Field Spell, Harpies' Hunting Ground! Whenever a Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters is summoned, I can destroy one spell or trap on the field. Additionally, every Winged-Beast monster gains 200 attack and defense points! Next, I summon my Harpie Lady in attack mode (1300/1400)! And she gains a buff to her attack and defense thanks to my field spell (Harpie Lady: 1300/1400 - 1500/1600)! I'll end by placing two cards facedown. Your move."

"Then allow me to begin your destruction." Vader spoke, drawing a card. "I begin my summoning my Kozmo Farmgirl (1500/1000) in attack mode!"

"Figures." Vince muttered. "He would play Kozmo cards. I figured he would with his name."

"Kozmo?" Shin asked.

"They're a series of cards based on Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz." Naomi explained. "I guess he picked his alias because he uses these cards."

"But why that monster?" Ruka asked. "It has the same attack points as Asami's Harpie."

"But that is where Farmgirl's special ability comes in." Vader replied. "See, by banishing her from my field, I can summon a level 4 or higher Kozmo monster from my hand. I banish Farmgirl, and in her place summon Kozmoll Dark Lady (2200/1800)!"

"The card based on Darth Vader and the Wicked Witch of the West." Yuga muttered.

"Attack, my Dark Lady!" Vader commanded. "Send her monster six feet under!"

The Dark Lady laughed a high pitched streak of a laugh, charging forward at Asami's Harpie Lady."

"Go, trap card!" Asami shouted, activating her face down card. "Magical Hats!" Suddenly, three hats appeared on the field, with one scooping up Harpie Lady before shuffling. Dark Lady slashed at a hat, and it exploded, revealing that it was empty inside. "Sure, it only lasts this turn, but that was all I needed to avoid your witch's attack!"

Vader chuckled in amusement. "You're very confident, I see. No matter. I'll place three cards face down and end my turn."

"Good move considering." Roku muttered. "Asami's field spell lets her destroy one card for every harpie she summons. By placing multiple cards facedown, that guy can still have an option if one card is destroyed."

"Though you have to admit, Vince." Naomi said. "She is holding her own out there."

Vince snorted. "Let's hope she can still hold her own when it counts."

"Why can't you just admit that Asami is a good duelist already, Vince." Ruka sighed.

"My turn now." Asami said, drawing a card. "I summon my Cyber Harpie Lady (1800/1300 - 2000/1500)! And since I summoned a monster, I can destroy one of your spell or trap cards. I think I'll choose… the center face down one!" At once, the card exploded, revealing itself before shattering.

"That was Kozmojo, and using it Vader could have destroyed a Kozmo monster he controlled to banish one of Asami's cards on her field or her graveyard." Roku explained.

"Good guess on Asami's part." Naomi admitted.

"Now, I'll overlay my level 4 Harpie Lady and my level 4 Cyber Harpie Lady!" Asami declared, as the two monsters became green orbs of energy and flew into a vortex that appeared before them. "The metallic harp she plays rallies dragons into battle! Now, appear and lead us to victory! Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Queen Dragun Djinn (2200/1200)!"

"Whoa, that's a monster I've never seen Asami use before." Namoi gasped.

"Her ability makes it so no dragon can be destroyed by battle, other than her." Roku explained.

"She doesn't have dragons, though, so that was pointless." Vince muttered.

Asami then tapped her duel pad again. "I activate my trap card, Raigeki Break! By discarding the final card in my hand, I can destroy any card on the field that I wish, and I choose your monster card, Kozmoll Dark Lady!"

"What!?" Vader shouted, as the Dark Lady exploded before him.

"That's not all!" Asami shouted. "I activate the effect of my Queen Dragun Djinn. By using one overlay unit, I can summon any level 5 or higher dragon type monster in my graveyard!"

"But you don't have any dragon's in your graveyard!" Vader stated.

Asami took a card that popped out her duel pad's graveyard slot. "The card I discarded for Raigeki Break was Harpie's Pet Dragon, a level 7 dragon-type monster. So now, I summon to my field, Harpie's Pet Dragon (2000/2500)!"

"Awesome!" Shin shouted. "Asami has it set up to beat that guy this turn!"

"Let's take into account that Vader guy still has face downs on his field." Roku muttered.

"She made an excellent move though." Naomi said. "Not only did she destroy his only monster, but she also summoned a high level monster doing so. You got to admit, Vince, she made a good play."

Vince remained silent, as Asami continued her turn. "Now… Harpie's Pet Dragon, attack his life points directly!"

Vader, however, smirked from underneath his hood. "Don't think so. Activate trap, Negate Attack! Your attack is canceled, and your battle phase instantly ends."

Asami grunted before sighing. "I end my turn, but your toast on my next turn!"

"Is that right?" Vader mocked, drawing a card. "I place one card facedown and activate my continuous trap card, Brain Hazard! I can now special summon one removed from play psychic-type monster, so I call back my Kozmo Farmgirl (1500/1000)!"

"Well, she's back." Yuga muttered.

"Brain Hazard will be destroyed once my Farmgirl banishes herself, but that is okay because by banishing her I can summon one of my most powerful monsters. The level 8, Kozmo Dark Destroyer (3000/1800)!"

"No way…" Roku gasped, as a silver spaceship appeared on Vader's field.

"That's bad." Shin whimpered.

"Very bad." Vince muttered. "Now that ship's special effect will allow Vader to destroy any monster he wishes."

"That is correct." Vader announced. "Whenever I summon my ship, Normal or Special Summon, I can destroy one monster on the field, and I will choose your Queen Dragun Djinn. Next, I'll use my ship to attack your Harpie's Pet Dragon!" The ship fired two red lasers, the first hitting Queen Dragun and vaporizing it, the second hitting Harpie's Pet Dragon and destroying it (Asami: 4000 - 3000). "I'll end my turn there."

Asami hissed in pain, but got to her feet, drawing a card. "My turn!"

"She's not giving up?" Shin asked.

"If she did, her seal would be taken anyway." Roku muttered. "Better to fight this one out."

"I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards! Next, I summon my Harpie Queen (1900/1200 - 2100/1400) in attack mode!" Asami declared.

"A powerful monster for a level 4." Vince stated. "But what good will it do against that spaceship?"

"I next activate the spell card, Elegant Egotist! Because my Harpie Queen is treated as a Harpie Lady, I can now use the magic of my Elegant Egotist to summon one Harpie from my deck, so come forth Harpie Lady 1 (1300/1400 - 1500/1600)! Next, I overlay my Harpie Queen and Harpie Lady 1!" Asami declared, as her monsters turned into green orbs and flew into the vortex. "Bird of striking thunder, descend with a thunderclap and pierce my enemies' defenses! Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Lightning Chidori (1900/1600)!"

"Impressive." Vader muttered to himself. "But too weak to do any damage to my Dark Destroyer."

"Lightning Chidori's special effect, by using one overlay unit, Lightning Chidori returns one face up card on your side of the field to the top of your deck!" Asami declared. "I'm returning your Kozmo Dark Destroyer!"

Vader snickered. "Sorry to say, girl, but Kozmo Dark Destroyer isn't effected by any special effects."

Asami chucked at this, taking a card from her hand. "Quick Play Magic, Effect Channeled. If a monster on my side of the field uses its effect on another monster, that effect cannot fail, even if the monster on your side of the field isn't effected by special effects."

Vader went wide eyed at this. "What!?" Suddenly, a thunderclap rang out and Dark Destroyer disappeared. The card glowed on the duel pad, before returning to the top of his deck."

"Excellent!" Naomi shouted. "Since Vader doesn't have any cards in his hand, and will draw that monster next turn, he can't summon it!"

"Lightning Chidori, attack Vader directly!" Asami commanded.

"It's not that easy." Vader hissed. "Trap activate, Call of the Haunted! With this, I can summon a monster from my graveyard, and I choose Kozmoll Dark Lady (2200/1800)!"

"Close." Roku muttered. "Asami had the right idea."

Vince huffed. "Yeah but now she's in trouble, cause that Vader guy draws that Kozmo Dark Destroyer next turn and can summon it again."

"No he can't." Shin declared. "He needs two sacrifices to summon it."

"Vince is right." Roku stated. "Dark Lady can also banish herself to summon Kozmo monsters."

Vader laughed, drawing his card. "It's been fun, girl, but I do have a seal to collect. I activate the special ability of my Dark Lady. By banishing her from my field, I can special summon any Kozmo monster level 6 or higher. Come forth once again, my level 8 Kozmo Dark Destroyer! And now, since he was summoned to my field, he can destroy one monster that I choose. Destroy her Lightning Chidori!" Kozmo Dark Destroyer charged up a red laser beam and vaporized the thunderbird. "Now, attack directly my ship, and end this duel!" The spaceship charged another blast, but this one was aimed at Asami directly. The beam hit her and sent her flying back, causing her to hit the ground hard (Asami: 3000 - 0).

Vader Wins!

"Asami!" Everyone shouted. They started to run forward to her, but before they could even process what had happened, Vader was directly in front of her, lifting her chin up. Asami was now sitting on the ground, looking directly up into his eyes, which Yuga spotted beneath his hood. They were unlike any eyes he'd seen before, with an orange coloration and what looked like four triangle shaped markings on the iris, aiming towards the pupil forming a crosshair like shape without the lines for the crosshair.

"While you didn't win, little girl…" Vader whispered, almost wanting like. "You could be useful to me… I think I should make you my puppet for the time being…"

"Asami!" Everyone shouted, but as they ran forward, Asami's eyes glowed before she passed out. Vader stood up, holding up his black gloved hand. He took the glove off and right before everyone's eyes, Asami's seal vanished from her right hand and appeared on Vader's own hand.

"Give that back!" Shin shouted.

"Oh?" Vader said, slipping his glove back on. "I don't recall that being part of our game. I'm off to deliver this seal to my master… in the meantime, try and think of a better challenger for tomorrow's duel, yes?"

Before anyone could react, Vader leapt into the air and landed into a black speedboat. Turning sharply, Vader grabbed the wheel and pushed on a leaver, the boat zooming off into the water before them.

"Wait!" Yuga yelled out.

"It's no good." Roku muttered, looking after Vader. "Even if we were to get a boat, we wouldn't be able to catch him in time."

"Asami!" Naomi shouted, shaking her friend. "Asami are you okay!?"

Asami groaned, and began to open her eyes, but to everyone's surprise, the same triangle pattern that was in Vader's eyes were now in her's, the iris of her eyes also changing to match Vader's orange eyes.

"A-Asami?" Naomi muttered. "W-what's with your-?"

"My what?" Asami replied, but her voice was sharp. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at her roommate. "What's with my what?"

"N-Nothing!" Namoi suddenly said.

Asami huffed, pushing Naomi off her and getting to her feet. "Figures it's nothing. God, Naomi, you're way too passive."

"Asami, that's not nice." Ruka said, stepping forward.

"Not nice, you say?" Asami said, her now orange eyes glaring at Ruka. "Well, how's this for not nice; Your hair is an ugly shade of green and you talk too loudly in your sleep!"

Ruka gasped, covering her mouth and nose with her hands. Vince, meanwhile, stepped forward. "Hey, lay off her, Asami!"

Asami, however, turned to Vince and grinned. "Oh, look, the good for nothing who's probably going to end up in jail in about three years. Hope you're ready to scrub floors like that loser's brother over there!"

Shin cried out and Vince glared daggers at Asami, as the blue haired girl glared at everyone once and walked away. Yuga and Roku looked after her as everyone else on the dock stared in disbelief at what they just witnessed.

"You saw it too, didn't you?" Yuga asked, turning to Roku.

"Yeah." Roku said, looking after her. "Vader's eyes… she has them… but why? And why is she acting that way?"

" _You could be useful to me…"_ Vader's voice echoed in their heads. _"I think I should make you my puppet for the time being…"_

"Mind control." Yuga said, drawing everyone's attention. "Asami was placed under his spell…"

"But how do we undo it?" Ruka asked.

"Simple." Naomi hissed, drawing everyone's attention. Her voice was very fierce as she glared after her roommate. "By taking Vader down!"

* * *

 **So more disclaimer action down here about the duel. One, I'm not sure if the Kozmo banishment effect would work on Kozmoll Dark Lady, since "Kozmo" isn't in her name. However, since she is a Kozmo monster I assumed it would work. If it doesn't by TCG rules, just chalk it up as an "Anime effect" like I did with Big Bang Shot in Chapter 13. Same can be said about Elegant Egotist working with Harpie Queen. Since she was treated as "Harpie Lady", I assumed it would still apply, but if I'm wrong anime effect it.**

 **Hope you guys liked the chapter! I know, Asami was mean at the end, but don't forget what mind control can do to a person.**

 **Edit: Yes, the final spell Asami played was created specifically to correct my mistake that** **Kozmo Dark Destroyer isn't effected by special effects. I'm sorry guys, I messed up and had to pull something out of my butt to correct it. Please forgive me**


	16. Fighting for a Friend

**First of all, thank you to** **Draen, pokemonking0924, FanOfKings, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, Jac the Shadow, and EveryDayDueling for your reviews on Chapter 15. Many of you had questions about what cards are going to appear in the story with the reveal of Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon and Starve Venom Fusion Dragon (about freaking time they revealed that card for real), and the release of some new TCG and OCG card packs. All I can say is... you're just gonna have to wait and see! ;)**

 **This chapter took a long time to write, so I hope you guys enjoy it and I hope it is good! I'm taking a much needed vacation to Lake Geneva in a day so hopefully I'll get some energy back while relaxing and swimming and that will lead to more chapters faster, not only for this story but for my other stories as well (especially Teen Titans... geez do I need to update that one).**

* * *

Vader calmly walked forward towards a giant door, and took off his glove once again to reveal the symbol he stole from Asami earlier that day. He raised his hand, and the symbol on his hand glowed for a moment before disappearing. A second later, the matching symbol on the door lit up and continuously glowed a green color.

"Excellent work, Vader." The Masked Man's voice rang out. "One seal down, six to go. You know what you must do."

"Yes, master." Vader replied, turning away from the door and heading out of the cave, his unique eyes shining in the dark as he left for his next challenge with determination.

XxXxXxX

Asami wasn't seen at all the next day. Every class Yuga and the others went to; she was the only students out of all 100 freshmen that was missing without fail. As the day progressed, they would get more worried until finally Naomi stopped them all right after Advanced Summoning Methods.

"This is insane." Naomi said to all of them, looking at each one of them in turn. "Asami is missing and no one seems worried about it in the slightest."

"Naomi, we all are worried." Ruka replied, looking at her. "But I'm sure whatever spell Vader put on her isn't making her do something too dangerous."

"Still, it is concerning that he put her under a spell at all." Roku stated. "For what purpose would he have to do that?"

"To turn us on each other, that's what." Vince replied, with everyone turning to him. "With Asami under his control, we'd be distracted by our main goal. Defending these seals. On top of that, with Asami under his command, there is a possibility he would fight us with her instead of fighting himself, and by doing that it would limit how well we can fight. Think about it, Naomi, could you really duel Asami with you all knowing she's brainwashed and dueling you against her will?"

"I-I'm not sure." Naomi replied, looking even more worried now then she did before.

"Exactly." Vince said. "Which is why since none of you will be able to duel her at your best, I'll be taking over the dueling tonight."

"Hold on, shouldn't we…" Shin was about to reply, but Vince glared at him, silencing him at once.

"I'm sure Yuga would also hold nothing back." Vince said, looking over at the purple haired duelist. "But the poor guy still isn't up to it."

"You say that almost as if you don't care about Yuga." Ruka growled, glaring at Vince.

"Well, once Vader contacts us, I am sure you guys will come crawling to his location." Vince grinned, walking off. "But don't even worry about bringing your Duel Pads, for I will be taking over this round of dueling."

"What a creep." Ruka muttered, glaring after him as he walked off in the direction of the Gym.

"But he does have a point." Yuga stated. "Against these Shadow Duelists, we can't afford to hold anything back… even if we are fighting against one of our own."

"Yuga…" Naomi muttered, looking at him.

"I agree with Yuga." Roku said. "Even if Vince said it in a… non-sugar coated way, he is right about one thing. We can't lose to them, or we lose our seals. And I get a feeling that these Shadow Duelists aren't going to need all seven of them. If what the Masked Man said in the tape is correct, the door the Wicked Gods are sealed behind might have weakened over time, and if enough seals are collected, the lock could break without all seven of the seals. We can't afford to lose, not even once."

"What's more important right now though is finding Asami." Naomi said. "Sorry, but I am skipping Gym… I have to know if she's okay."

"Then let us help you." Shin said at once.

"Yeah, let's split up and try and find her." Ruka said. "If you find her, give everyone a call… including Vince I guess. If not, let's meet back at the dorms at 6 pm."

Naomi smiled warmly at all of them. "Thanks everyone!"

The search began, but for the next three hours, no one could find Asami anywhere. Their search even took them off campus, but everywhere they looked showed no signs of the blue haired girl. Eventally, Yuga found himself at the very same docks that they dueled Vader at the night before, where he spotted the very girl he was searching for.

"Asami!" Yuga shouted at her.

The girl in question turned to him, her eyes still the same Vader style that it was last night. "Yuga." She replied, smirking an evil smile. "So you found me."

"Asami, where were you?" Yuga said to her. "We had class today, remember?"

"That doesn't matter to me anymore." Asami said, turning her back to him to face the water. "I only care for one person right now… my master."

"Vader isn't your master, Asami." Yuga stated, which earned him a glare from the girl. "He brainwashed you! Come back to us, Asami!"

"You don't get it, Yuga." Asami said, grinning. "I can't go back, even if I wanted to. I belong to Master Vader now, and you will soon…"

"What do you mean?" Yuga asked.

"Vader will defeat all of you!" Asami declared, grinning still. "And one by one, you will all fall under his control! His power will overtake us, and we will serve him as he takes the Wicked Gods for himself, and rules this world with an iron fist, with you as his servants and me as his queen! There is nothing you can do to stop it!"

"Asami." Yuga muttered. He started to walk towards her, but it was too late. Asami laughed, throwing something down and before Yuga knew it a blinding flash of light enveloped the area. When he finally regained his sight, Asami was gone.

XxXxXxX

"Once the flash finally cleared, she was gone." Yuga finished telling everyone the story once they met back at the dorms at 6.

"Now what?" Ruka sighed. "We knew where she was, but she could be anywhere now."

"I think the best thing to do is to wait for Vader to demand another duel." Roku stated. "After all, he still needs the remaining six seals we have, so it's a guarantee he's going to challenge us again."

"We're in luck then." Shin stated, looking at his duel pad. "I just got a message."

Sure enough, everyone else noticed their duel pad also had gotten a message. Deciding only one would be enough, they had Shin press play to hear the voice of Vader come from the speaker. "Duelists, I am once again challenging you for the seals. Meet me at the docks once again, and don't worry about your little friend… she'll be there as well."

"Well, that settles that." Yuga said, looking at the duel pad. "Let's head back to the docks."

Once they got there, Vince was already standing there, facing Vader and Asami with his duel pad out. When he heard the sound of Yuga and the others behind him, he turned and chuckled a little. "About time you guys arrived."

"Vader!" Naomi shouted, in a fierce voice. "Unhand Asami right now!"

"Why would I do that?" Vader asked. "No, I feel like I need more time with her, so if you defeat her in a duel, you can win her back… but of course, if she wins, I once again get the seal of whoever I am up against."

"I knew it." Vince muttered. "But no matter, I can take Asami no problem."

"I don't think so." Naomi said, stepping forward and putting her duel pad on, igniting the blade. "How about we make this a tag duel. Vader, you're dueling us as well, you coward!"

"You saw my power yesterday, yet you still wish you face me?" Vader chuckled in amusement, taking out his duel pad. "Very well, I shall enlighten you once again on my power, and once I win, you both will be my puppets, and your seals with be mine!"

"Duel!"

Vince: 4000 & Naomi: 4000 vs Vader: 4000 & Asami: 4000

"I'll begin." Naomi declared. "By activating Polymerization! From my hand, I fuse together my Lunalight Blue Cat and my Lunalight Purple Butterfly! Blue cat that prowls through the darkness, butterfly with violet poison! Spiral into moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight, Lunalight Cat Dancer (2400/2000)!"

Vince smirked at this. "Guess you aren't going to hold back after all then."

"Nice move." Roku commented. "A 2400 attack point monster on the first turn."

"Don't forget though, Vader is a real threat." Ruka muttered. "He was able to summon very powerful monsters with that Kozmo Farmgirl of his, and on the very same turn he summons her."

"I'll end my turn with one facedown card." Naomi stated.

"My turn, then." Asami declared, drawing a card. "I'll summon my Harpie Lady (1300/1400)! Next, I activate the spell card, Ties to the Bretheren! By paying 2000 life points (Asami: 4000 - 2000), I can summon two level 4 or lower monsters with the same type, level and attribute as the monster on my side of the field from my deck!"

"That's a powerful card." Yuga muttered. "Allowing her to swarm field that quickly."

"But at a cost of 2000 life points, Asami needs to make a fantastic play to make this move worth it." Roku replied.

"Did Vader give her that card?" Ruka asked, looking confused. "She never had that card before in her deck."

"I'll summon, from my deck, the Level 4, Winged-Beat Wind Attribute… Harpie Lady 1 (1300/1400) and Harpie Channeler (1400/1300). Next, I overlay my three Harpies!" Asami declared. "Heed the call of your mistress, and tear your enemies to shreds! Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon (2000/2500)! Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon's special ability, you can't attack or activate an effect targeting any Harpie monster on the field. Next I activate the equip spell card, Malevolent Nuzzler. By equipping it to my Dragon, he gains 700 attack points (Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon: 2000/2500 - 2700/2500) At my end phase, I have to detach one overlay unit from Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon (OLU: 3 - 2). I'll end my turn here."

"Then I go now." Vince said, drawing his card. "Impressive so far, Asami, but I am afraid the Vince is about to wow you with his turn. Watch me, Ruka!"

"Whatever, Vince." Ruka muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I'll start by summoning my Black Stone of Legend (0/0)! And with this little guy on the field, I can special summon one Level 7 or lower Red-Eyes monster from my deck, so say hello to the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!"

"I'm not impressed." Vader said.

"Well you should be." Vince stated. "Cause my Red-Eyes will wipe the floor with you, but that's for my next turn. I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Then it's finally my turn." Vader muttered, drawing a card. "I summon my Kozmo Farmgirl (1500/1000)!"

"Careful guys!" Shin shouted. "With that he can summon any Kozmo he wants!"

"Tell me something I don't know, squirt!" Vince replied back.

"I banish my Kozmo Farmgirl to activate her effect." Vader said, as Kozmo Farmgirl vanished on his field. "Now I can summon any level 4 or higher Kozmo monster from my hand, and I choose my Kozmo Forerunner (2800/1400)!"

Naomi frowned a bit. "I take it your monster is more than just a 2800 attack point beat stick."

"Very well thought, girl." Vader replied. "My Forerunner grants me 1000 life points during each of my standby phases, and it's immune to card effects. On top of that, if it's destroyed by battle, I can banish it to summon any level 6 or lower Kozmo in my deck. Now, I will place two cards facedown and end my turn."

 _One of those cards could be Brain Hazard._ Naomi thought. _With that, Kozmo Farmgirl can come back and summon another Kozmo monster of his. I have to finish this fast!_ "My turn!" Naomi declared, drawing a card. "I activate the equip spell card, Black Pendent! Now I can equip this card onto my Lunalight Cat Dancer and increase her attack by 500 points (Lunalight Cat Dancer: 2400/2000 - 2900/2000)! Lunalight Cat Dancer, attack Asami's Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon!"

"I activate a trap!" Asami declared. "Negate Attack! Your attack is canceled and the battle phase automatically ends!"

"Lunalight Cat Dancer has a special effect!" Naomi declared. "Anytime an attack is declared, Lunalight Cat Dancer deals 100 life points of damage!" Asami hissed in pain as Lunalight Cat Dancer slashed at her (Asami: 2000 - 1900). "I'll end my turn."

"My turn then." Asami said, drawing a card. "I summon Harpie Queen (1900/1200). Now, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon's special effect activates. When he has Overlay Units attacked to him, he can attack directly. Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon, attack Naomi!" The red dragon breathed in deeply, before unleashing a steam of fire. The fire shot past Lunalight Cat Dancer and struck Naomi, sending her flying back and hitting the ground hard as she screamed (Naomi: 4000 - 1300).

"Naomi!" Shin screamed in worry.

"I'm fine." Naomi said, sitting up and panting a little. She stood back up and walked back forward as Asami smirked at her.

"I'll end my turn. (Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon OLU: 2 - 1)" Asami stated.

"Then it's back to me." Vince stated, drawing a card. "And I guess it's time to clean up some trash! I equip my Red-Eyes with the monster card, Black Metal Dragon! Even though this card is a monster, he can be treated as an equip spell card, and when he is equipped to Red-Eyes monster and grant it 600 free attack points (Red-Eyes Black Dragon: 2400/2000 - 3000/2000)! Your fault for not putting a trap card on the field, Asami! Now Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon!" Red-Eyes, with his new metallic coating, shot forth a dark red ball of energy, which collided with Asami's Dragon and evaporated it. Asami hissed a little, glaring at Vince (AsamI: 1900 - 1600). "I'll end my turn with that."

"My turn." Vader said, drawing a card. "Due to the effect of my Kozmo Forerunner, I gain 1000 life points (Vader: 4000 - 5000)."

"This isn't good." Yuga muttered. "They need to take out that monster, and fast."

"No problem." Vince grinned. "My next turn, that monster is toast."

"We will see about that." Vader declared. "I activate my trap card, Brain Hazard. With this, I special summon my banished Kozmo Farmgirl back to the field. And I am sure you are all familiar with her special effect. So let's get right to it, by using Farmgirl, I special summon the level 9 Kozmo Dark Eclipser (3000/2600)! Much like my Forerunner, my Dark Eclipser is unaffected by card effects you throw at it. Now my Eclipser, attack Lunalight Cat Dancer!" The black ship charged a ray of red energy, launching it and destroying Lunalight Cat Dancer instantly (Naomi: 1300 - 1200).

"Black Pendent's effect activates!" Naomi declared. "When this card is sent from the fiend to the graveyard, my opponent takes 500 life points of damage (Vader: 5000 - 4500)."

"Not even a concern." Vader replied to her.

"Oh yeah? This will be." Naomi stated. "I activate a trap card, Lunalight Reincarnation Dance! Since my Lunalight Cat Dancer was destroyed in battle, I can add two Lunalight Monsters from my deck to my hand!"

"Just more fodder to destroy." Vader stated. "I'll end my turn with a card facedown."

"I'll draw." Naomi said, drawing a card. "I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards. Now for my newest trick. I set the Pendulum Scale using my Scale 1 Lunalight Wolf, and my Scale 5 Lunalight Tiger!"

"Whoa, when did Naomi learn to Pendulum Summon!?" Shin asked.

"Picked it up from me, maybe." Yuga said, watching as her two monsters entered columns of light.

"I activate the Pendulum Effect of my Lunalight Tiger!" Naomi declared. "I can special summon one Lunalight monster from my graveyard. I special summon Lunalight Purple Butterfly (1000/1000)! Next, I activate the Pendulum effect of my Lunalight Wolf! Using him, I can Fusion Summon a monster from my Extra Deck by banishing monsters from my hand and graveyard! I banish my Lunalight Cat Dancer and my Lunalight Purple Butterfly! The beautiful beast dancing in the moonlight, butterfly that wields violet poison! Swarm in the vortex of the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Elegant beast dancing in the moonlit wilderness! Lunalight Panther Dancer (2800/2500)!"

"As impressive as that was…" Vader snickered. "You're not going to beat me with that monster. He is far too weak."

Naomi, however, smirked. "Lunalight Panther Dancer, attack Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon now!" Panther Dancer nodded, charging forward and slashing Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon, destroying it (Asami: 1600 - 1500). "Now I activate the spell card, Quick Fusion! Using this spell, even though it's my battle phase, I can fuse together my Lunalight Panther Dancer with the Lunalight Black Sheep and the Lunalight White Rabbit in my hand! Elegant beast dancing in the moonlit wilderness, the beast lurking in jet-black darkness, the lively white rabbit illuminated by moonlight! Swarm in the vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth, the king of beasts dancing atop the summit of the moonlight wilderness! Lunalight Leo Dancer (3500/3000)! Since I used Flash Fusion to fuse during my battle phase, I can attack with my Leo Dancer now! And with his special ability, he can attack twice! Now, Leo Dancer, attack Harpie Queen!" Leo Dancer charged forward, slashing Harpie Queen and destroying her instantly (Asami: 1600 - 0). Asami's eyes suddenly flashed to their normal color, before she closed them and collapsed, passing out.

"Asami!" Naomi screamed in shock.

Vader glared down at Asami in rage. "Stupid girl… She's alive, but the shock of my control being undone must've caused her to faint."

"Wait, doesn't Leo Dancer destroy all special summoned monsters controlled by the opponent once he attacks?" Shin asked. "Shouldn't Vader's monsters be destroyed since they were special summoned?"

"Don't forget, Vader's Kozmo's are unaffected by card effects." Roku stated. "This includes Naomi's Leo Dancer."

"Now for my second attack! Leo Dancer, attack Kozmo Forerunner!" Naomi declared. Leo Dancer charged forward and slashed Kozmo Forerunner, destroying it (Vader: 4500 - 3800).

"Forerunner's effect activates." Vader stated. "Because he was destroyed, I can banish him from my graveyard to special summon one level 6 or lower Kozmo monster from my deck. I choose my level 3 Kozmo Soartroopers (1000/1000)

"I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn!" Vince said, drawing a card. "Now that Asami is defeated, it's time to finish Vader! I activate my trap card, Tyrant Wing! With this, my Red-Eyes gets a 400 attack and defense point boost. Sure he's destroyed by the end of my turn if he attacks successfully, but I think I can manage with that (Red-Eyes Black Dragon: 3000/2000 - 3400/2400)! Red-Eyes, attack and destroy his Kozmo Dark Eclipser!" Red-Eyes destroyed his ship with a blast of dark red energy (Vader: 3800 - 3400). "Now, thanks to Tyrant Wing he gets a second attack! Attack his Kozmo Soartroopers!" Red-Eyes launched another attack, vaporizing the troopers (Vader: 3400 - 1000). "Now, my Red-Eyes is destroyed, but I don't think I like that, so I activate my face down card, Red-Eyes Spirit! Using this, I bring back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)! And because Black Metal Dragon went to the graveyard, I get to add one Red-Eyes card from my deck to my hand. I'll end my turn there."

"Nice job, Vince." Naomi said. "We almost got him beaten!"

"Don't underestimate him!" Roku shouted at them. "He's waiting for the right card; I just know it."

Vader chucked at this, drawing a card. "You should listen to your friend, especially since he was right. I just got the very card I needed. Now, from my hand, I banish the level 6 Kozmo Landwalker and the level 4 Kozmo Goodwitch!"

"Wait, why is he banishing monsters from his hand?" Yuga asked.

"Because he's summoning his most powerful monster, and that's how you do it." Roku explained.

"I summon, my level 10, Kozmo Dark Planet (4000/4000)" Vader announced, holding his hands high. Out of nowhere, a big green space station looking structure appeared in the sky, larger than any monster Yuga had ever seen. Everyone stared at it in shock at the structure.

"Four thousand attack points!?" Shin whimpered.

"That is one powerful monster." Ruka muttered.

"There's no monster in your deck that can match the raw power of my grand monster!" Vader shouted. "Dark Planet will vaporize every monster in your deck!" Vader then pulled a card from his hand. "I next summon my Kozmoll Wickedwitch (1900/300). Now, Dark Planet, attack Leo Dancer!" The machine charged a giant green laser that vaporized Leo Dancer instantly (Naomi: 1200 - 700). Now, Kozmoll Wickedwitch, attack the girl directly!" The new monster charged forward and slammed her red staff right into Naomi, who's eyes went wide as she was sent back (Naomi: 700 - 0).

"Naomi, are you okay?" Shin asked, who had caught her.

"I'm fine, thanks Shin." Naomi said, but then she gasped. She looked down at her hand to see her seal had vanished. "Wait, my seal!"

"Hey that's not fair!" Ruka shouted at Vader. "The duel isn't over! Why is Naomi's seal gone?"

"A duelist whose life points hit zero forfeits their seal." Vader explained. "Even if your Red-Eyes friend here wins, which he won't, you technically still lost, girl. Enjoy your last few minutes of freedom, because once your friend here loses, you and him will be under my control."

"See, I don't think so." Vince stated. "Now end your turn so I can finish you off!"

Vader chucked. "Eager to lose? Very well, my turn is finished."

Vince grinned, drawing a card. "Good, now it is my turn. I activate the spell card, Red-Eyes Transmigration!"

"I don't think so." Vader said. "I activate the effect of my Kozmo Dark Planet. When he is on the field, and my opponent activates a spell card, I can banish one Kozmo monster in my graveyard to cancel your spell's activation. I will now cancel and destroy Red-Eyes Transmigration by banishing Kozmo Soartroppers from my graveyard."

Vince growled, before pulling a new card in his hand. "Fine, I play my Black Stone of Legend (0/0), and by sacrificing him, I can summon Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon (2400/2000) from my hand. Next, I overlay my level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon and my level 7 Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! Dark dragon encased in molten steel, burn my enemies to cinders with your mighty power! Xyz Summon! Rank 7, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon (2800/2400!"

"Wait, why did he do that?" Ruka asked. "Flare Metal doesn't stand a chance against that Dark Planet."

"Vince is going to take advantage of Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon's special effect." Roku explained. "Not only can he destroy Kozmoll Wickedwitch for more damage, leaving Vader with only 100 life points, but the second Vader activates any effect, he loses the duel."

"Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon, attack and destroy his Kozmo Wickedwitch!" Vince declared. Red-Eyes Flare Metal breathed in and breathed out a large steam of fire, vaporizing Vader's Kozmo monster (Vader: 1000 - 100). "Too bad for you, you can't activate a single special effect. Now I end my turn."

Vader draw his card, shaking his head. "Foolish boy. You really think that I need to activate a single effect to destroy your Red-Eyes? Now, Dark Planet, attack his Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" Dark Planet charged up his green energy beam and launched an attack at Flare Metal, vaporizing it instantly (Vince: 4000 - 2800). "I end my turn."

Vince draw his card. "I activate my spell card, Summoner's Art! I can now add one Level 5 or higher normal type monster from my deck to my hand!"

"It's useless!" Vader declared. "My Dark Planet cancels your spell's effect by banishing my Kozmo Dark Eclipser form my graveyard!"

Vince, however, began laughing hysterically at that. Everyone looked confused for a moment before the Red-Eyes player calmed down. "Perfect, you fell for it."

"What do you mean?" Vader hissed.

"The Xyz Summon of my Flare Metal Dragon served two purposes." Vince stated. "The first of which was to lower your life points to 100 by destroying your witch, and the second was to make you think that was my final stand, the only move I had to defeat you. I lured you into thinking if you destroyed my Flare Metal, the game was as good as yours. My Summoner's Art card served a purpose as well, to make it look like I was playing it in a desperate act to call my second Red-Eyes into my hand to save the game, and I figured you as the sadist type that likes to leave their opponent with no hope, so I knew you'd block that card with your Dark Planet's effect, leaving you with no more monsters in your graveyard to banish."

 _What!?_ Vader thought, before looking at his graveyard. _No! I didn't realize I only had those monsters in my graveyard!_

"Now I can freely use spells, and it's time to use my most powerful one." Vince stated, holding up a single card. "I activate Red-Eyes Fusion! Using this card, I can fuse the Red-Eyes Black Dragon my deck, with my Meteor Dragon in my hand!"

"What?" Vader said in shock. "A fusion spell that fuses from the deck!?"

"Dragon of legend, dragon of meteor storms, combine and light up the sky with a streak of flames. Fusion Summon! Level 8, Meteor B. Dragon (3500/2000)!" Vince shouted, as the purple and orange dragon appeared, roaring loudly.

"I applaud your efforts." Vader said, looking at the dragon. "And you impressed me with that card, but your dragon is still 500 attack points short of my Dark Planet."

Vince, however, was smirking. "Red-Eyes Fusion is a very powerful card. It does have the nasty side effect of making it so that I can only summon my Fusion Monster that turn, but in exchange I can fuse from the deck as well, plus any monster fused with Red-Eyes Fusion has it's name treated as 'Red-Eyes Black Dragon' for the entire time it is on the field."

"And what good will that do you?" Vader asked.

"Simple." Vince said, smirking. "A card in my hand that targets Red-Eyes monsters. I activate my Black Metal Dragon, and I equip him to Meteor B. Dragon (3500/2000 - 4100/2000)!"

"Say what?" Vader screamed in shock.

"Now Vince's dragon is stronger than that Dark Planet!" Naomi shouted.

"Alright, go Vince!" Yuga shouted.

"Meteor B. Dragon, attack his Kozmo Dark Planet now!" Vince commanded. His dragon roared, creating a fireball in his mouth that looked like a meteor, before launching it at Dark Planet, causing it to explode. Vader shouted out a loud 'No' as the sky lit up in the explosion (Vader: 100 - 0).

Vince Wins!

Vince smirked, looking down at Vader as he collapsed. "Winner, Vince!"

"Nice job, man!" Yuga said with glee, patting Vince on the back.

"Don't touch me." Vince snapped, glaring at Yuga. "That little combo was supposed to be for you, but instead I had to use it on Vader. Be lucky that I don't want to lose to these guys, Yuga."

"Sure thing." Yuga said, still grinning.

"Hey, Asami is waking up!" Naomi shouted, running over to their friend. Vince and the others also hurried over, looking down at Asami as she groaned, stirring a little before opening their eyes, which were now their normal color.

"W-what? Where am I?" Asami groaned, sitting up before looking over at Vader. "Ah!"

Relax." Roku said at once. "Vader is defeated. Vince and Naomi saw to that."

"You two defeated him?" Asami asked. "What? How? Last thing I remember was my life points hitting zero in my duel with him."

"It's a long story." Yuga sighed. "Best saved for when we get back to campus."

"Now, what do we do with him?" Ruka asked, but when she turned to Vader, he was suddenly gone. "Huh?"

"W-where did he go!?" Shin asked.

XxXxXxX

Vader was gasping for air, having ran away from the docks as fast as he could. He was back inside the cave with the door inside, which now had the red fire seal Vader took from Naomi glowing as well. Vader finally caught his breath, raising his head, his hood falling off to finally reveal his dark brown long hair.

"Vader." The voice of the Masked Man rang out at once. "It was foolish for you to return here!"

"Master, wait!" Vader called out. "I got you two of the seals! Aren't you grateful to me master? Can't I be spared for being a good servant?"

"You did indeed accomplish more than the last servant." The Masked Man growled. "But failure is still failure, and I do NOT tolerate failure here!"

"Master, please!" Vader begged, in a voice very unlike his usual one. "I beg you! I can still be of use!"

"There is no use for those who are weak." The Masked Man shouted. "BEGONE INTO THE SHADOWS!"

"MASTER!" Vader screamed, as darkness began enveloping him, causing him to start sinking into the dark pool of energy that formed below him. "I CAN BE OF USE STILL!"

The Masked Man stayed silent for a moment, before speaking softly. "Yes, you can be… you will be food for the shadows to consume for all eternity, Vader. That is your new use in this world."

Vader would have shouted again, but his mouth was now sunk into the shadows. His wide, unique yellow eyes disappeared before finally the Masked Man watched as he sunk in completely, the dark pool disappearing before him.

* * *

 **Edit: Changed some text. During the duel, Naomi fuses to make Lunalight Leo Dancer. Well originally I put Lunalight Leo Dancer as a fusion material for Lunalight Leo Dancer, whoops! Fixed it so it says Lunalight Panther Dancer like it should**


	17. The Silent Magician

**First of all, before we begin this chapter I would like to say I am no longer accepting OC Submissions. I got way more then enough already for the next arc.**

 **Second, I hope this chapter is alright. It took a long time to write simply because I wasn't sure how to handle it, and once I wrote it I basically went back and re-wrote it because I felt like it wasn't good enough.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"It's been two weeks, my master." The figure of a teenage male said, staring up at the Masked Man as he examined the door. "I'm surprised we haven't made another move."

"All in due time, my servant." The Masked Man replied. "Ever since Vader's failure, everyone has been making sure that the same thing doesn't happen again."

The figure, before hearing footsteps approach from behind. He turned to see a women and a girl enter the room, visible to him for the first time. The women wore a stunning red dress with red flats, two pearl bracelets on each arm, and a pearl necklace. The teenage boy couldn't help but stare at her face, her pillowing red lips, hazel eyes and flaming red hair seemed to glow in this miserable cave. The teenage girl beside her had pink hair, tied up in pigtails, with hazel eyes. She wore a pink no sleeved shirt, with blue jeans and pink shoes. She also wore a pink duel pad on her left arm.

"Is your deck ready?" The Masked Man asked.

"My little Tamiko made sure no deck of theirs could beat her, isn't that right my darling?" The red haired women declared.

"Yes, mother." Tamiko replied, looking directly at the floor.

"Then it is finally time to strike." The Masked Man stated. "Do not fail me, young one."

Tamiko stared at the floor for a little bit, before looking up at the Masked Man with a fierce look on her face. "I will not, master."

XxXxXxX

"I tune my Level 3 Nobledragon Magician to my Level 4 Dragonpulse Magician!" Yuga shouted. "Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 7, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon (2400/2000)! Now, attack his monster!"

Black Rose Moonlight Dragon breathed in, unleashing a blast of energy that looked like it had rose petals in it. The blast flew forward and destroyed Jet Warrior, taking the opponent's life points to zero. At that moment, Ms. Toma blew his whistle. "The match is over, Yuga wins!"

"Nice work, Yuga!" Shin shouted, high fiving his best friend once he got back to his seat in the classroom.

"Thanks, Shin!" Yuga replied.

"Excellent work, Yuga." Ms. Toma said. "And I am glad to see that instead of waiting till the last moment to obtain Synchro monsters, you've already gotten at least one in your deck."

Yuga laughed nervously, before leaning over to Ruka and whispering. "Thanks for letting me borrow your monster until the tournament is over, Ruka."

"No problem." Ruka replied, blushing a little. "I got more where that came from, but I don't know if they'll work with your deck."

"Alright class, that's enough for today." Ms. Toma said. "Tomorrow maybe the weekend, but I want you all to practice your Synchro Summoning and review the basics of Tuner Monsters."

"Alright, time for Gym!" Yuga cheered. "Action Dueling time!"

"In two weeks, Yuga bounced back to his normal self." Asami chucked, watching their purple haired friend.

"Yeah, it's a good thing too." Naomi muttered. "We'll need everyone we can get to defend the remaining seals."

"Speaking of that." Ruka said, putting her hand to her chin in thought. "It's been two weeks since we dueled Vader. I wonder where the other Shadow Duelists are…"

"Maybe I scared them so bad they won't dare show their faces anymore." Vince declared, laughing.

"Sure, that must be it." Ruka sarcastically said, glaring at him.

Gym Class went by in no time before the seven duelists began heading back to the dorms. As they walked, Roku's duel pad suddenly beeped with a message. He pressed the email button and cleared his throat, reading out loud. "Duelest, this is the third Shadow Duelist. Your next duel will be tonight at 2100 hours, in the forest just outside of Union Duel School's campus. If you don't come, your seal is automatically forfeit."

"So, they are striking again after all." Vince muttered.

"Wait, why did only Roku get that message?" Shin asked, looking at his duel pad. "Because I didn't get one."

"Vader sent his to all of us because he didn't care who he dueled." Yuga replied. "I guess this Shadow Duelist wants to choose his opponent."

"Or her." Asami corrected him.

"Doesn't matter." Ruka replied, shrugging. "They made a mistake this time. Roku is the best freshman! He'd cream any duelist that stood in his way."

Roku looked up from his duel pad and into the forests just visible from Union Campus. He then began walking back to the dorms again, the others following behind him. "Guess I should prep my deck. I've been itching to duel someone for a good while now."

XxXxXxX

Tamiko was leaning against one of the trees on the outer rim of the forest, staring directly at the dorms of Union Duel School. Sorrow seemed to fill her eyes as she looked at the building, a frown etched on her face. A sudden breaking of a branch behind her caught her attention, causing her to whirl around to see what was behind her. Tamiko's mother stood there, looking at her daughter with a sad look on her face.

"Is everything alright, sweetie?" She asked.

"I-I'm fine, mom." Tamiko replied.

"I don't think so." Tamiko's mother stated, resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder before looking at Union. "I…"

"You don't have to apologize to me, mom." Tamiko said instantly, shocking her mother. "I know you only joined the Shadow Duelists to help our family… to enable us a better life."

Tamiko's mom felt tears coming, before wiping her eyes and hugging her daughter, who weakly hugged her back. "The Masked Man will reward us for this. When he does, we will move out of that crappy apartment and get a better life… just bare with it for a while longer sweetie."

Tamiko nodded, looking at Union's Dorm Building again, determination filling her eyes. "I won't lose."

XxXxXxX

"This forest is creepy at night!" Shin shouted, fear etched in his voice.

"Shut your mouth!" Vince shouted, glaring at the smaller teen.

"Keep your eyes peeled for anyone suspicious." Roku said, looking at the email again. "We should be getting close to where the duel spot is on the map."

They continued walking, the only sounds they heard being the occasional critter, Shin's whining and Vince snapping at him to shut up. Eventually, they reached a clearing in the forest, trees surrounding the circular clearing. In the center of the clearing was a roaring fire, and Tamiko standing there, staring directly at them, her pink duel disk's pink blade ignited.

"It's about time you showed up, Roku!" Tamiko growled, trying to sound intimidating.

"Ha!" Asami laughed. "The next Shadow Duelist is a girl!"

"Yeah, and one our age to boot." Ruka muttered, shocked. "That's different."

"What's your name?" Roku asked.

"My name is Tamiko Honda." Tamiko replied. "And as your friends guessed, I am the third Shadow Duelist."

"But why?" Roku asked, looking at her. "Why would someone like you work for the Shadow Duelists?"

"Someone like… her?" Asami asked.

Tamiko glared at him. "Never you mind! I'm working for them, that's all you need to know. Now, let's get this over with so I can deliver your seal to my master."

Roku sighed, activating his duel disk. "Fine, but once we duel I want to talk to you."

"Duel!"

Roku: 4000 vs Tamiko: 4000

"I'll start this duel by summoning my Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in attack mode!" Tamiko declared, laying the card on her duel pad's blade. A masked man appeared on the field, wearing a purple outfit with yellow armor, carrying red beads in his hand. "However, he won't be staying, because I am sacrificing him to activate the ability of my Silent Magician. By doing this, I can summon her directly to the field! (Silent Magician: 1000/1000)"

A swirl of blue light appeared, sucking Kycoo into it. A bright glow emerged from the vortex before it disappeared, revealing a silver long haired magician standing there, wearing blue and white robes, a white hat, and carrying a white staff with blue gems on it.

"Wait, Silent Magician?" Shin asked. "I thought the only two Silent Magician cards were called Silent Magician Lv. 4 and Silent Magician Lv.8…"

"Apparently that isn't the case." Roku muttered, looking up at the magician before him. "I've never seen this monster before."

"Silent Magician's special ability grants her 500 attack points for every card in my hand." Tamiko explained. "Since I am holding three cards, Silent Magician gains 1500 attack points (Silent Magician: 1000/1000 - 2500/1000). Now, I place one card facedown and end my turn (Silent Magician: 2500/1000 - 2000/1000)."

"My turn." Roku said, drawing a card. "I summon my Noble Knight Drystan (1800/800). Next, I'll equip my knight with the spell card Noble Arms – Excaliburn!"

"I won't allow that." Tamiko stated. "My Silent Magician activates her special effect. Once per turn, when a spell card is played, the effect is automatically negated and the spell is destroyed. While I'm at it, I'll activate my trap card, Royal Decree! This prevents either one of us from playing any Trap Cards, so don't even think about it!"

"Too bad you can only use your monster's effect once per turn thought." Roku grinned, pulling two more cards from his hand. "I activate Magnum Shield! Here's how it works; When my Noble Knight is in attack mode, my monster gains attack points equal to the original defense points, and when my monster is in defense mode, defense points are gained equal to the original attack points of my monster. Because my knight is in attack mode, she gains 800 attack points (Noble Knight Drystan: 1800/800 - 2600/800). Now, I'll activate my Noble Arms – Caliburn, granting my Knight 500 attack points (Noble Knight Drystan: 2600/800 - 3100/800). But that's not the best part, because my Noble Knight Drystan has a special effect. Whenever she is equipped with a Noble Arms card, she destroys one face up card on the field, and I choose your Silent Magician!"

Silent Magician seemed to gasp as Noble Knight Drystan raised her sword swinging it down. A slash of light appeared, flying at Silent Magician before colliding with her, causing her to explode. Tamiko hissed a little, but smirked afterwards. "Silent Magician activates her other special effect! If she is destroyed by battle or by a card effect, I can summon one Silent Magician monster from my deck, ignoring the summoning conditions of the monster."

"Wait, that means she can summon…" Ruka started to say.

"Bingo." Tamiko said, taking a card that popped out of her deck. "My Silent Magician Lv. 8 (3500/1000)!" The magician that appeared before them looked almost the same as the previously destroyed monster, just with more white in the robe.

"I didn't think that your Silent Magician had that power." Roku muttered, sighing. "I end my turn."

"Then I get to go again." Tamiko said, drawing a card, placing it in her hand before pulling a card she previously held. "I activate the field spell card, Magical Citadel of Endymion. Each time a Spell Card is activated, this card gains one spell counter. Now, Silent Magician Lv. 8, attack his Noble Knight Drystan!" Silent Magician Lv. 8 twirled her staff, then pointed it towards the knight, sending out a blast of white light, vaporizing the Noble Knight and destroying the two spell cards equipped to her (Roku: 4000 - 3600). "I'll end my turn there."

"My turn." Roku said, drawing his card. _Another Magnum Shield, but it won't do much good right now. The only cards I have in my hand are Noble Knight Bedwyr and Noble Knight Eachtar, and I can't summon Eachtar… guess I got only one option._ "I set a monster in face down defense mode and end my turn."

"That's all? I'm disappointed." Tamiko taunted, drawing a card. "But this duel is almost finished. I summon my Magician's Valkyria (1600/1800), and as long as she's on the field, she's the only spellcaster monster you are allowed to attack! Now, Magician's Valkyria, destroy his set monster!" The Dark Magician Girl looking monster sent out a blast of pink light from her staff, vaporizing Roku's set Noble Knight Bedwyr (1600/1500). "Now, Silent Magician Lv. 8, attack his life points directly!" Silent Magician Lv. 8 once again sent out a blast of white light, hitting Roku, who grunted in pain, taking a knee once the attack stopped (Roku: 3600 - 100).

"Roku!" Everyone watching shouted.

"I'm… fine." Roku panted, standing back up.

"My turn is over." Tamiko stated. "And so is this duel!"

"Not until the last card is played." Roku stated, drawing a card and smirking at it. "Too bad you can't cancel my spell cards anymore Tamiko. I now activate the special effect of my Noble Knight Eachtar! By banishing 2 Noble Knight monsters in my graveyard, I can summon him to the field! Come forth, Noble Knight Eachtar (1600/2000)!"

"That monster won't do you any good." Tamiko replied.

"You forget that Noble Knights gain strength thought various spells." Roku said. "And I got two of them! I activate my Noble Arms – Gallatin! This spell card allows the monster it is equipped on to gain 1000 attack points, but it must sacrifice 200 attack points from my monster each of my turns (Noble Knight Eachtar: 1600/2000 - 2600/2000). Now, I activate the final card in my hand, my second Magnum Shield. As you already know, since my monster is in attack mode, my shield adds my monster's defense points to his attack points (Noble Knight Eachtar: 2600/2000 - 4600/2000)!"

"4600 attack points!" Tamiko gasped.

"Enough to take out either of your monsters." Roku said. "But since I have to attack your Magician's Valkyria, that's exactly what I'll do! Noble Knight Eachtar, attack Magician's Valkyria now!" The Noble Knight nodded, charging forward and slashing right through Magician's Valkyria, destroying the monster (Tamiko: 4000 - 1000). "I end my turn."

Tamiko hissed, drawing a card. "I can't lose this… I absolutely cannot lose this."

"Tamiko?" Roku asked. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine." Tamiko snapped. "I put my Silent Magician Lv. 8 in defense mode, set one monster and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn again." Roku stated, drawing a card. "Due to the effect of Noble Arms – Gallatin, Noble Knight Eachtar losses 200 attack points (Noble Knight Eachtar: 4600/2000 - 4400/2000). Noble Knight Eachtar, attack her Silent Magician Lv. 8!" Another swing of the sword destroyed Silent Magician Lv. 8, who burst into a thousand pieces before disappearing. "I end my turn."

 _This draw will decide this duel._ Tamiko thought. _If I draw the right spell card, I will win._ She drew her card, looking at it before smiling and putting it into her duel disk. "I activate the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon! With this, I can destroy your Magnum Shield spell card, stripping 2000 attack points from your monster (Noble Knight Eachtar: 4400/2000 - 2400/2000)! Next, I flip summon my Silent Magician Lv. 4 (1000/1000) and activate the spell card Level Up! With this, I can sacrifice my Silent Magician Lv. 4 to summon… Silent Magician Lv. 8!"

Roku looked shocked for a moment before sighing, lowering both arms to his side. "Then it is over…"

"Roku, no…" Ruka muttered.

"This is it!" Tamiko shouted. "Silent Magician Lv. 8, attack his Noble Knight Eachtar!" Silent Magician Lv. 8 twirled her staff before sending out a bright white light, vaporizing Noble Knight Eachtar (Roku: 100 - 0).

Tamiko Wins!

Roku sighed, taking a knee once again, the seal on his hand vanishing before their very eyes. Tamiko simply looked down at him for a moment before turning to walk away, but that is when Roku stood back up. "Tamiko, wait! During our duel, I could sense your heart. You aren't evil, you don't belong with those guys. You truly enjoy dueling, and someone like that doesn't belong with people that use dueling for evil intentions. Please… join our side and keep that masked man from obtaining the Wicked Gods!"

Tamiko sighed. "I have no choice… once you are on the Masked Man's side, you either win… or you disappear…"

"Disappear?" Naomi asked, looking at her with confusion.

"Vader was sacrificed to the shadows." Tamiko replied, earning looks of shock from everyone. "And unless I want to end up the same way… I must win and I must serve the Masked Man." She paused, the silence around them creating tension.

"Why do you serve him anyway?" Asami asked.

"Because he's the only one that can save us." Tamiko replied, looking at them. The confusion on their faces was clear to her, but she didn't say anything else about the subject matter. "Tomorrow, we will duel again, and you will lose another seal. Count on it." Before they could say anything more to her, Tamiko leapt up into the trees and disappeared, Roku and the others watching where she disappeared in stunned silence.

* * *

 **Wheee!**

 **Any typos and grammar errors will be corrected when they are pointed out or as I see them. Don't you find it weird that it's only after you write something and post it that you find EVERY. SINGLE. ERROR. Even if you read it over twice?**


	18. Song of Requiem

**Welcome back to the story that seems to take longer and longer to write the deeper I get in it. Seriously, I dunno if writers block just hates my guts, or to make these chapters good more and more effort is needed. See, this is why I could never be a professional writer.**

 **Thanks to** **Drean, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, pokemonking0924, Martyn and Erik Dokuryuu Cobra for reviewing Chapter 17! And since I forgot to thank those who reviewed Chapter 16: Thank you Draen, pokemonking0924, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, EveryDayDueling, Jac the Shadow and Erik Dokuryuu Cobra!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ruko has fallen." The Masked Man spoke, looking down at the remaining Shadow Duelists kneeling before him. "If you could all see my face; you could see me grinning with pride right now. You have done well, Tamiko."

"Thank you, my master." Tamiko muttered, not looking up at him.

"But we are far from done." The Masked Man said, turning away to look at the door, where three of the rune slots were glowing. "The seal is still too strong to break, and Yuga still has his seal. He is the next target, and must be eliminated."

"Then Yuga is my next victim." Tamiko stated, getting to her feet and bowing to her master. "I won't let you down."

"Beware of him." The Masked Man said, glancing over his shoulder at Tamiko. "Yuga is the most dangerous and unpredictable out of them all, and with his recovery complete, he is sure to duel at his best. I want you to crush him!"

"You won't be disappointed, my master."

XxXxXxX

Ruka sighed, poking at her food with the fork she was holding, her eyes fixated on the plate, but she wasn't bothering to eat. Everyone else around her seemed to have the same attitude, Asami spinning her fork in the palm of her hand and not even bothering to touch her food with the metallic poking device. Yuga was the only one eating, but he was doing it slowly as he looked around at the others, his cheeks stuffed to the brim with food. Finally, Vince slammed his hands on the table, causing everyone to jump and stare at him as he stood up.

"This is insane!" He shouted. Everyone else in the lunchroom turned to stare at him, but when he glared at him, they all looked away. He looked down at the other members of his table, their eyes still glued on him. "How could Roku, the most powerful of the seven of us, lose to that pinked hair nothing of a duelist!?"

"She was simply stronger than me, that's all." Roku replied, looking out the window.

"No one is stronger then you!" Vince shouted, glaring at the white haired duelist. "Okay, maybe the two of us are tied in strength, but still!"

"I'll take the complement." Roku muttered, then looked back at everyone else. "She was a fantastic duelist, but was anyone else concerned about her, at all?"

"About what she said after the duel?" Ruka asked.

"'He's the only one that could save us.'?" Shin repeated, looking at Roku. "What could they have meant by that?"

"I am not sure." Naomi replied, staring at her chicken. "But her family might be in trouble, and the Masked Man promised them something. Vader was promised power, after all, so it's not unusual to think they were all promised something for their services."

"We should ask her next time we see her." Asami suggested.

"Yeah, then she'll beat the next one of us." Vince growled, sitting down and sighing. "If she was sent third, and just took out our most powerful member, then we're screwed. They're only going to get stronger from here."

"Don't worry about it, Vince." Yuga finally spoke, cutting into his chicken and taking a large bite.

"How can you even eat at a time like this?" Shin asked, looking at Yuga with wide eyes. "We're in a bad spot with these Shadow Duelists, Yuga!"

"Yeah, even you couldn't defeat Roku!" Naomi said. "What makes you think you can beat Tamiko?"

Yuga swallowed his food, and looked at each of his friends in turn. "Because I lost to Roku a long time ago. Since then, we've all changed and grown, upgraded our decks, and learned a lot about not only us, but the game of duel monsters itself. Plus, I got a sweet new card in my deck I'm itching to try out! I guarantee you that one of us will defeat Tamiko next time she decides to come after us."

"Yuga…" Ruka muttered.

Yuga turned to look right at her. "Come on, Ruka. You can't say that you haven't gotten better since we started here, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothing." Yuga said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think we've already got the strength to defeat Tamiko."

"Yuga is right." Roku said, drawing everyone's attention. "My defeat means nothing. You all have gotten much stronger since we first started here. Maybe I was the best back then, but you all have caught up really quick. I'm sure you four could defeat Tamiiko… and help her with whatever it is she is going through."

Vince, Yuga and Ruka nodded. Shin, however, sighed. "If you say so, but I am not as confident."

"Well, only one way to find out." Yuga smirked, then began cutting into his chicken again. "Now why don't you guys eat? How are we going to duel our best when we are hungry? And I bet you Toma is going to drill our butts today in Synchro Summoning lessons, and passing out in that class is just asking for trouble."

"True." Ruka laughed, and everyone began following Yuga's lead and finally starting on their lunch. Their spirits were lifted as they went through the rest of the day with smiles on their faces, until they were just leaving Gym Class, having ran through an obstacle course to practice the kinds of things they would do during an Action Duel, when Yuga felt his duel pad vibrating in the pouch on his jeans. Pulling it out, he tapped the screen to see a recorded video pop up.

"Yuga Suzuki." The image of Tamiko said, glaring. "Among the remaining four duelists in your group of 'defenders', you are the strongest."

"You think she really means that!?" Yuga said, grinning at the complement.

"Shut up, moron!" Vince hissed, punching the purple haired duelist in the shoulder. "There's more to the message!"

"You and I are going to have a duel, at the following location attached to this message." Tamiko explained. "Make sure you bring your A-game…" The image of Tamiko then smirked. "…cause defeating you at your best will be so satisfying."

The image blinked out to be replaced with two GPS locations on the screen. Yuga stared at them for a while before turning off his duel pad, and turning to his friends with a grin. "Well, time to bring my A-game!"

"You're really taking this too lightly, Yuga." Shin groaned, looking at his roommate. "Aren't you worried at all?"

"Why would I be?" Yuga asked, looking down at his best friend. "Shin, it's like I said at lunch, we can't get too stressed out about this! Besides, I got my secret new card! She doesn't stand a chance!"

"What 'secret new card' could Yuga be talking about?" Ruka asked, looking at Yuga's back as he walked ahead, humming to himself as Shin stayed at his side expressing his concern.

"Probably another unicorn girl." Vince snorted, shaking his head. "This is ridiculous! If that girl wanted the best remaining duelist out of the four of us, I was the only logical explanation… that or you of course, Ruka." Vince quickly said, blushing as he looked at the green haired girl, who just rolled her eyes in response.

XxXxXxX

Yuga and the others headed out into the woods that light, flashlights being held by Roku, Ruka and Vince, who were following behind Yuga, who was in the lead, looking at his duel pad, which had a GPS map up guiding the way to the duel sight.

"I don't like how these are always at night in very dark places." Shin muttered, hiding behind Naomi. "Can't these Shadow Duelists challenge us somewhere during the day?"

"Quiet!" Vince said to him.

"Yuga, are you sure you can win?" Ruka asked.

"Of course I am!" Yuga reassured her, smiling at her over his shoulder. "Like I said, I got a secret card that will win me the duel for sure."

"If you say so…" Ruka muttered, looking unsure at the back of her friend.

"You doubt me?" Yuga asked, looking slightly hurt at her.

Ruka immediately regretted saying anything. "It's not that I doubt you, Yuga. It's that… she beat Roku, and that Silent Magician Level 8 is beyond powerful. I mean you got Dark Rebellion, but what if he isn't enough…"

Yuga smiled at her again. "It's okay, Ruka. I promise."

"Okay." Ruka muttered, then she smiled and nodded. "You're right. You know your deck, and I'm sure if you are confident in your ability to win, then you can!"

"Thanks, Ruka!" Yuga smirked, blushing a little and turning back to face his duel pad. Finally, they reached a clearing similar to the one Roku and Tamiko dueled in, where the familiar pinked hair girl was waiting, a look of determination on her face, her arms locked and crossed across her chest.

"What kept you?" Tamiko asked, looking directly at Yuga. "If you were organizing your cards, you shouldn't have bothered. You can't beat me."

"We have an added condition for this duel." Yuga declared, to the shock of everyone there, except for Roku, who just looked right at Yuga.

"An added condition." Tamiko asked, looking puzzled. "What would that be?"

"If we win, you have to tell us why you're part of the Shadow Duelists." Yuga declared.

"Very well." Tamiko said, narrowing her eyes. "Not that you will win, so in order to keep it fair… If I win, you'll turn over your deck to the Shadow Duelists, along with your seal!"

"How is that fair?" Ruka shouted, glaring at Tamiko. "A backstory for a deck? That's absurd!"

"I accept!" Yuga shouted, once again to everyone's shock. "Now let's do this!"

"I look forward to turning both your seal and your deck over to the Masked Man." Tamiko said, her duel pad's blade coming out as Yuga's did the same.

 _Thank you, Yuga. I might be selfish for asking this, but you are the only one I can turn to right now._ Roku thought, thinking of the conversation they had earlier that day.

XxXxXxX Flashback XxXxXxX

"I need to ask you a favor."

Roku was standing on the roof of the school, overlooking the campus. Standing behind him was Yuga, who was looking at the back of his friend, confused.

"Alright, what is it?" Yuga asked.

"Tamiko… she doesn't seem to be in the Shadow Duelists for the power, the fame, anything really." Roku said, looking up at the setting sun. "It seems like she's in it either because she was forced, or because she has nowhere to go… I need to know why she's in it, so we can help her… So we can protect her against the Masked Man. I don't want her suffering the same fate as Vader did."

"So, you want me to see if I can get it out of her after I beat her in our duel?" Yuga asked.

Roku nodded, turning to him. "Please, Yuga. I want to save her. She doesn't deserve to suffer."

Yuga blinked in surprise. Finally, he narrowed his eyes and smirked, looking at Roku keen eyed. "You like her or something, Roku?"

"I-I do not!" Roku shouted, glaring at him. "I just want to help her, that's all!"

"Relax, I'm teasing you buddy!" Yuga said, walking over to him and putting an arm around his shoulder. "I'll do it!"

"I hope she'll take kindly to this." Roku muttered.

"I'll do whatever I can to help her for you." Yuga declared, holding his fist to his heart. "It's a promise!"

XxXxXxX End Flashback XxXxXxX

Yuga and Tamiko faced off against each other, each one eyeing the other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, they both drew five cards the duel began. "Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Tamiko: 4000

"Good guys first!" Yuga declared. "I'll start this duel by placing the Scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician and the Scale 8 Dragonpit Magician into my Pendulum Zones, allowing me to Pendulum Summon monsters from Level 2 to 7! Now, I Pendulum Summon the Level 7 Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (2500/2000) in attack mode and the Level 3 Performapal Corn (600/1000) in defense mode, in her first ever duel appearance! And that's the end of my turn!"

"That's the sister to his other Unicorn girl I take it." Vince muttered, sweat dropping.

"Well, at least he put her in defense mode." Ruka said, also sweat dropping. "With her attack against Tamiko's Silent Magicians, she'd get obliterated."

"Not to mention the life point loss." Roku muttered. "If Tamiko gets out Silent Magician Level 8, that would be 2900 life points Yuga would lose. In this duel, every life point matters, so Yuga has to be extra careful."

"That's your best? I was expecting more." Tamiko shouted, drawing a card. "Let me show you a real move! I summon my Silent Magician Level 4 (1000/1000)! Next, I activate the spell card Level-Up!"

"That's the card she used to defeat me in our duel." Roku stated.

"Be careful Yuga!" Shin shouted.

"By sacrificing my Silent Magician Level 4, I can summon from my deck, Silent Magician Level 8 (3500/1000)!" Tamiko stated, her Silent Magician transforming into her older form before their very eyes. "And as I am sure you remember; my Silent Magician is unaffected by Spell Cards. Now, Silent Magician Level 8, attack his Odd-Eyes!" Silent Magician twirled her staff, shooting a blast of energy at Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, which obliterated it (Yuga: 4000 - 3000). "My turn is over."

"My turn again." Yuga said, drawing a card. "I'll Pendulum Summon my Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon from my deck into defense mode, and end my turn."

"Stalling again, Yuga?" Vince growled. "Come on, this is lame. I should have dueled her."

"Yuga has little choice right now." Ruka stated, eyeing the field. "With only those two monsters, he can't beat that Silent Magician."

"Stalling for time till he's got an opening is what Yuga is good at." Naomi said, then looked at Vince with a smirk. "That's how he beat you in your Xyz Duel, right?"

"Why you-" Vince spat.

"Shush guys!" Asami hissed. "I'm trying to watch."

"My turn again." Tamiko declared, drawing a card. "I place one monster into face down defense mode. Now, Silent Magician Level 8, attack his Performapal Corn!" Silent Magician nodded, blasting Performapal Corn off the field. "My turn is over."

"Smart move on her part." Ruka muttered. "Unlike Phantom Dragon, Corn can't come back from defeat unless she's somehow summoned from the graveyard."

Yuga smirked, looking at the card he drew. "Hello old friend, let's kick some Shadow Duelist butt! I Pendulum Summon from my hand, the Level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500/2000)!" The field lit up as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon appeared, roaring at Tamiko.

Tamiko smirked. "Finally, I can destroy your ace monster."

"Sadly, he'll be gone in a moment." Yuga said, smirking. Tamiko looked confused as Yuga raised his right hand into the air. "I overlay the Level 7 Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and the Level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Dragon of absolute cold, descend and freeze the opposition in place with fear! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 7! Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon (2800/2500)!"

Tamiko blinked in surprise at the appearance of the blue Odd-Eyes monster, but shook her head. "It matters not. Your monster doesn't have the defense to withstand my magician."

"My Odd-Eyes isn't in defense mode." Yuga stated, looking up as his Xyz Monster. "He's in attack mode, and he's coming for your defense mode monster! Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, destroy her set monster!" Absolute Dragon took a deep breath, before breathing out a large stream of ice, vaporizing the set monster.

"The monster your destroyed is my Silent Paladin, who activates her special effect." Tamiko declared. "When she is destroyed, I can take one Light 'Level' monster from my graveyard, and add it to my hand." Tamiko then took the card that popped out of the graveyard slot, holding it up to show Silent Magician Level 4. "Look familiar, Yuga?"

"You can summon her back if you want, it won't make a difference." Yuga stated. "I end my turn here."

"Sorry, but she WILL make a difference." Tamiko said, drawing a card. "I summon the Silent Magician Level 4 I recalled from the graveyard, and I'm sure you remember my next card… the spell card Level Up!"

"You have another one of those!?" Yuga said in shock.

"That's right, Yuga!" Tamiko shouted, her Silent Magician Level 4 transforming into another Silent Magician Level 8 before their very eyes. "And thanks to her this duel is over! My first Silent Magician Level 8, attack his Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon!"

"Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon's special effect!" Yuga shouted out. "Whenever an attack is declared by a monster, I can detach one overlay unit to negate the attack. On top of that, I can summon one 'Odd-Eyes' monster from my graveyard, so come back Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, in defense mode! Sadly, I can only use the effect once per turn."

"Then your Absolute Dragon is history!" Tamiko shouted. "My second mage, attack his Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon!" The second Silent Magician twirled her staff, sending out a blast of light, which vaporized Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon (Yuga: 3000 - 2300). "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Then I go." Yuga stated, drawing a card. "Alright, it's now or never… with these three cards, I might be able to win. First, I pendulum summon the Level 4 Performapal Uni (800/1500), and the Level 4 Alexandrite Dragon (2000/100). Next, I overlay them to construct the overlay network!"

"Alright!" Asami shouted. "With Dark Rebellion's attack reducing effect, Yuga can overpower her mages!"

"He can what!?" Tamiko shouted, hearing with Asami said.

"Formed from pitch black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuga chanted, as Dark Rebellion appeared on the field behind him. "I activate Dark Rebellion's special effect! By detaching both of his overlay units, I can target one of your monsters and cut their attack in half, then add it to Dark Rebellion's own!" Dark Rebellion roared, streams of purple lightning coming from his body, and surrounding the second of Tamiko's Silent Magicians (SMLv8 #2: 3500/1000 - 1750/1000; Dark Rebellion: 2500/2000 - 4250/2000).

"I won't let him attack!" Tamiko shouted, pressing her duel pad's screen, her facedown card coming up. "Activate trap card, Fiendish Chain! Your monster's effects are negated, and it cannot attack! Sure, my magician still has lost points, but my first Silent Magician can still destroy your dragon (Dark Rebellion: 4250/2000 - 2500/2000)!"

Yuga looked down at his final card. _Alright Yuga, it all comes down to this. Let's hope this works._ "I activate the spell card, Rank-Up-Magic The Phantom Knights of Launch!"

"What!?" Everyone asked, looking at Yuga in shock.

"When… when did Yuga learn that?" Shin asked.

"I don't think we covered that advanced of a method in class, did we?" Naomi asked.

"No. We didn't." Roku said, smiling. "This is farther proof that Yuga has caught up to me… No, he's surpassed me as a duelist."

"By targeting one Dark Xyz Monster on my side of the field, I can summon an Xyz Monster exactly one rank higher, but only if the targeted monster has no overlay units attached to it!" Yuga explained. "I target my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon to summon a Rank 5 Xyz Monster! From the depths of purgatory, sing the song of rebellion dedicated to the unsinking souls. Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up! Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon (3000/2500)!"

"I don't believe it." Ruka muttered, looking at Requiem Xyz Dragon.

"Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon's special effect." Yuga declared, shocking Tamiko. "By detaching one overlay unit, I can target one monster on your side of the field, reducing that monster's attack points to zero, but only if 'Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon' was used as Xyz Material. Since I met this condition, your first Silent Magician's attack is cut to zero."

"Impossible." Tamiko gasped, looking as her Silent Magician glowed with a purple aura, and Dark Requiem glowed with the same aura (SMLv8 #1: 3500/1000 - 0/1000).

"Additionally, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon gains that lost attack, increasing my monster's total attack points (Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon: 3000/2500 - 6500/2500)!"

"6500 attack points!?" Tamiko shouted in shock, falling to her knees.

"Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon, attack her Silent Magician now!" Yuga shouted. Dark Requiem roared, the gaps in his wings glowing with energy that look the image of stain glass windows, charging forward with his chin spike glowing with power. It impaled the Silent Magician with zero attack points, who widened her eyes in pain before exploding. Tamiko shrieked, being flung back from the shock waves. Everyone else also had to dig in, the shock waves radiating from the impact sight, causing leaves and other debree to get blown around (Tamiko: 4000 - 0).

Yuga Wins!

"That's game." Yuga said, as the dueling field vanished before them. "But it was a good one, Tamiko. Really, you're an amazing duelist."

"I… I can't." Tamiko muttered.

"Huh?" Yuga asked, looking down at her.

"I just can't tell you anything, okay!" Tamiko screamed, tearing up, suddenly standing up and starting to run off.

"Tamiko, wait!" Roku shouted, but he need not worry. Before Tamiko could run that far, what looked like a golem made out of lego blocked appeared in front of the pathway leading out of the forest, impeding her path. Tamiko stopped before it, then turned as she heard footsteps approaching her to see Professor Takada standing here, his duel pad on and the 'Block Golem' monster card resting on the blade.

"I think you agreed to tell us why you joined the Shadow Duelists if Yuga won, did you not?"

"Takada-sensei?" Ruka asked, as everyone ran up to the teacher. "When did you get here?"

"I was out on my walk when I saw you kids heading into the forest." Takada explained. "I wanted to make sure you guys weren't in any danger, so I followed you. Impressive dueling by the way, Yuga. I never thought you would use a technique learned by the Junior students of this school."

"Thanks, Professor." Yuga sheepishly said.

"Now back to the matter at hand." Takada said, turning to Tamiko. "What is so bad that you can't tell us?"

Tamiko glared at him through her tears, but seemed to soften up a little, sighing. "Fine. I did make that deal… It was five years ago. My mother and father lived in a house in Fortune City, and we were pretty well off, mostly thanks to my father's work as a card designer. However, I could always sense something was… off, in the family. My father constantly was working overtime, and my mother was always suspicious of what could have been going on. Finally, she got so fed up with it that she took me and drove to the building he worked in to figure out what he was working on… only to find he wasn't there."

"So the working late was an excuse." Takada said.

Tamiko nodded, looking down. "My mother was furious, and pinned down the owner of his work… literally, she held him against a wall. He told us that he usually left with his female co-worker…"

"Uh oh." Vince muttered. "I know where this is going."

Tamiko glared at him, but sighed all the same. "Well, yeah… he was cheating on my mom. We found out by going to this co-workers house and mom caught them in the act. I was told to wait in the car, but it mattered not… I could still hear them yelling."

"Then what happened?" Takada asked.

"It was a messy divorce." Tamiko explained. "But unfortunately it was very one-sided. Usually the female is the one to get everything, right? Not this time… my father used his power in the company to somehow win all the money we had… but not me. He let my mom keep rights to me, while he went off and married the slut he was sleeping with. I don't know where they went, and I don't care." Tamiko took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, we lost the house too, and didn't have the money to buy it back when my father sold it, so we got a cheap apartment and my mom got a minimum wage job to support us. We've been there for five years, struggling to just keep food on the table. I even almost got a job to try and get us a safety net of money, but mom wouldn't have it… she felt it was more important I remained in school. I still had my cards from before my father left us…" Tamiko said, looking at her deck and smiling. "It's the only thing I got from those better times."

"The Masked Man promised you all the wealth you and your mother could ever need." Roku muttered.

"But he's evil." Ruka said to Tamiko. "He… he wasn't going to keep that promise… you know that right?"

Tamiko nodded. "I always knew, but I guess I blocked out the truth…" Suddenly, tears came rushing from her eyes. "I-it's not t-t-that I want to be bad…" Tamiko cried, shaking. "W-we feel like w-we have n-no choice!" Everyone fell silent. The only thing that could be heard was Tamiko's sobs. Finally, Takada sighed, pulling out his duel pad and pressing the screen.

Roku noticed this. "You aren't going to turn her in, are you?"

"Why would I do that?" Takada asked, putting away his duel pad before turning to Tamiko. "Your dueling skills are amazing… why don't you apply for Union?"

Tamiko hiccuped, looking up at Takada with wide eyes. "Y-you mean it?"

"Sure, there is no tuition since we are government funded, and by taking a simple entry exam you can get right in ("Simple? That exam is impossibly hard." Everyone muttered). With your skills and knowledge, I know you'll make it, but since we are in the middle of a year, you will have to wait till the summer to take the test, but until we can figure something else out, we can find a place for you to sleep in the dorm's single rooms. We got two that aren't taken. Just… don't attract too much attention. Usually we don't let non-students stay on campus, but this is a special case."

Tamiko nodded, hiccuping again. "T-thank you so much. Wait… what about my mom?"

"Once we save her, we will figure out what to do then." Roku said. "I promise."

"Sappy." Vince muttered, earning glares from everyone.

"Y-you all a-are too kind." Tamiko said, but she caught the eye of Vince. "W-well... almost all of you."

"This isn't all free." Takada warned. "I would appreciate it if you gave us information on the remaining Shadow Duelists, and as much on the Masked Man as you can."

Tamiko nodded, getting a serious look on her face. "Anything to save my mom, and to stop him from getting what he wants."


	19. Wrath of the Pharaoh

**Don't... Say... Anything.**

 **I know this chapter took way too long to come out, but with school starting up again, and a unhealthy amount of writers block, it's hard to sit down and type anymore.** **Anyway, thanks to** **Nirvash Neo, D3lph0xL0v3r, paganilover3000, Draen, pokemonking0924 and king of the lion for reviewing this story.**

 **Something that has been brought to my attention that bugs some people about this story... the duels are too short. I am sorry about that, but this is my first dab into a YuGiOh story. I am actually surprised I have gotten this far, and this story is as popular as it is (this is my most popular story). Yes, the duels are short and are anti-climatic as a result, and I apologize for that, but if I have figured out how to make them longer, I would. It's something I gotta work on, and by the time we get to the end of the Shadow Duelist's saga, I hope I can get that handled.**

* * *

"Your daughter… has turned traitor."

The Masked Man's gaze pierced through the normally serious demeanor of Hotaru Honda, who was knelling in front of the Masked Man, her eyes locked onto the floor, shaking in fear. "Please, master, I ask for forgiveness on my daughter's behalf! She must have been brainwashed into-"

"SILENCE!" The Masked Man roared. Hotaru flinched, the shaking of her body getting worse. "I care not of your excuses. I am telling you that your daughter has went traitor, and that is fact. When we find her… there will be punishment."

"One that I am more than willing to give."

The Masked Man looked up to see the newcomer who entered the room. Hotaru Honda turned around, eyes going wide. "You're…"

"It's good of you to come, Ammon." The Masked Man spoke, looking at the other man that had entered the room, wearing a golden, Egyptian styled masked that covered all but his mouth and purple eyes. He also wore a business suit. "I trust you are ready for your assignment."

"No, please don't send him after my daughter." Hotaru begged, her hands grasped together. "My daughter, she-"

"Is not brainwashed, or possessed." Ammon said, earning a glare from Hotaru. "I should know a thing or two about possession, being a 3000 year old Egyptian spirit trapped in a mask currently on an everyday business man. And your… how do they say it in your time? Your 'bitch of a daughter' deserves her punishment."

"How dare you call my daughter a bitch, you ancient clod!" Hotaru retorted, standing up fully to face Ammon.

"Enough!" The Masked Man roared. "Your daughter is a traitor, and she will be dealt with as such. Should you continue your pathetic resistance, you will join her in the darkness..."

"It will be done, master." Ammon growled. "Yuga's friends will fall, and the daughter will be delivered to you."

"Then go." The Masked Man ordered. "And weaken Yuga by defeating that who is most dear to him."

"Consider it done." Ammon bowed, turning swiftly and leaving as quickly as he came.

"Why?" Hotaru muttered, turning to face her master. "Why do you treat him differently then all of us? You treat us like mere pawns, while he is your king."

"Because Ammon and I have a… different sort of relationship."

Hotaru raised an eyebrow. "You two aren't porking each other, are you?"

"W-what!?" The Masked Man shouted in comedic fashion, almost falling over before regaining his composure. "Don't be absurd! No, Ammon, being a spirit alive during the time of the ancient Shadow Games, knows much more about this game and world then any of you. He is my library of information, and is the reason I know of the Wicked Gods in the first place. In fact, he may be the smartest and most knowledgeable duelist I've ever known."

"Then why not send him last?" Hotaru asked.

"Because knowledge only gets you so far." The Masked Man replied, turning to face the door. "And in the game of chess, you must know which of your pieces you should play, no matter what the situation is."

XxXxXxX

If any of the students at Union Duel School were to look out their windows, they would find it odd that a pinked haired school aged girl would be leading Professor Takada, along with Yuga and his friends, through campus at this hour at night. Midnight had just struck on the central clock tower, but that didn't seem to be stopping the nine people who were currently walking towards Union gates. Takada wasn't one for breaking the rules, but he knew this was his chance to possibly end this once and for all. Upon leaving Union campus, Tamiko made a sharp left, the others following close behind her.

"So how far is this entrance the Shadow Duelists have been using?" Takada asked, as he watched the back of Tamiko's head.

"There are three secret entrances into the cave network that we were using." Tamiko explained. "Sadly I only know of this one… but it is better than nothing."

"Indeed." Takada stated.

"This entrance I have been assigned to use is just behind the alley way of the card shop." Tamiko explained, as they all reached an intersection. Union School was behind them, and just across the street was a building labeled 'Duel Monsters Spot'.

"The shop right next to our school?" Takada sighed in annoyance. "I had no idea there was a passage to the cave there. The main passage was sealed off when the Wicked God Cards were sealed away… to think there was three other entrances, let alone one right next to our campus."

"This entrance is the quickest way to get to the chamber where the door resides." Tamiko explained, the light finally turning green so they could cross. "With the chamber being just under the school, however, this one is also the steepest, because we need to head down. Just be careful."

Tamiko lead them across the intersection and took another sharp left, passing by the card shop and taking a right to get behind it. Once there, the group could see three dumpsters, the first two filled to the brim with garbage, and the third looking incredibly worn and unused.

"A dumpster?" Takada asked, as Tamiko walked up to the worn dumpster and opened the door located on the front of it. "Doesn't it seem like the shop keeper would use it for his trash?" Takada then blinked, noticing Tamiko's flashlight pointed to the 'Out of Order' sign on the front of the dumpster, right next to the door Tamiko had opened. "…seriously? Are people that stupid now?"

"Yes." Tamiko replied bluntly. "Now let's go… but be on your guard… there are chances a Shadow Duelist can be down there… including the Masked Man himself."

"Then it would be a perfect time to end this." Takada growled. Tamiko ducked, heading into the door she created, followed by Takada, and Ruka. Yuga blinked, before ducking himself and heading inside. Once he got inside, Tamiko was kneeling right next to a giant hole, with a ladder drilled into the side of the dumpster wall, leading down. Suprisingly, despite the worn and rusted appearance on the outside of the dumpster, the inside looked brand new.

"The outside wouldn't happen to be paint made to make the dumpster look worn and rusted, would it?" Yuga asked, as Shin was also peaking in, examining the inside of the dumpster with his jaw dropped.

"Yes, it is." Tamiko said, looking down the hole to make sure Takada and Ruka made it down safely. "The Masked Man bought this dumpster just for this purpose… Alright, they're safely down. You two go next."

Eventually, all nine of them had made it down the hole, and began walking down a slope that was traveling back the way they came above ground. Yuga could hear the hustle and bustle of Fortune City for a few moments, but it eventually faded into the sound of dripping water and their footsteps. Finally, after a while of walking, the mouth of the thin narrow passage lead them to what appeared to be a dead end, but Tamiko tapped the front of the wall on an upper right section of it. The boulder then shifted, sliding to the side to reveal, at first, bright light. When their eyes adjusted, they could see a large, circular dome shaped room. On the right side of the room from where they entered was a large, stone door, which Yuga recognized as the seal. Two other boulders, leading to the two other passages, were also on the left side of the room. Finally, Yuga took noticed there was a fourth passage way, which looked worn and unused.

"That used to be the main passage way from the school." Takada said, before looking at the other two boulders. "If we can follow these backwards, we can block off the other two entrances."

Yuga wasn't paying attention anymore. He was staring right at the sealed door, and he wasn't alone. Ruka, Vince and Shin were also all looking at the door, each of them with a grim expression on their faces. "You guys feel it too, huh?"

"Yeah, I do…" Ruka muttered, shifting so she was closer to Yuga, fear filling her body.

"What? What is it?" Roku asked, looking at them in worry.

"Seal Holders can sense the door and its structure." Tamiko explained, looking at them with concern. "It's weakening, isn't it?"

"Then our fears have come to pass." Takada said, sighing. "We need to end this soon, before the seal of the door breaks completely."

Takada then shivered, a sudden chill filling the room. They all looked wildly around before a chilling voice filled their ears. "Or better yet, I can take all four of the remaining seals."

Tamiko suddenly let out a sharp gasp, and when everyone turned to her, they could see her unconscious, draped over Ammon's shoulder like a rag doll. "The traitor is secured…"

"Let her go!" Roku shouted.

"If you want her back…" Ammon muttered, turning sharply, a dark portal appearing before him. He stepped inside, slowly getting smaller and smaller as he drifted into the vortex. "Then come get her."

"Let's go!" Ruka shouted, running towards the portal, quickly followed by Yuga and the other teenagers.

"Wait, it's too dangerous!" Takada shouted, attempting to chase them down, but the portal closed before he could reach it, leaving him alone in the chamber.

Ruka and her friends, meanwhile, exited from the dark vortex to find themselves in a dark, narrow room. The room contained a bunch of stone walls with carvings of monsters on it, and the narrow stretch of floor contained the same carvings, just different monsters. At the far end of the room, two throne looking chairs made out of stone could be seen, with Tamiko sitting unconscious in the right side one, and Ammon standing on top of the stairs that lead up to the two chairs, looking down as the teenagers dashed forward.

"Give Tamiko back!" Ruka demanded.

"If you want her back…" Ammon said. "You are to face me in a duel.

"What do you want with her anyway?" Asami asked.

"My orders were to deliver the traitor to my master, and I intend to do that… along with your seals."

"Our seals?" Shin asked. "Can't you only take one a day?"

"That rule was put in place to break your spirits." Ammon explained. "But a pharaoh does not live by such rules. I am bound to my master only for one reason… because he freed my tortured soul."

"Pharaoh? Explain yourself!" Vince shouted.

"I was an Egyptian Pharaoh, over 3000 years ago in Ancient Egypt. I was known as King Ammon the Terrible, and while my reign was great, my subjects looked upon me with distaste and anger."

"Wait, I know you." Naomi gasped, looking at Ammon. "You're the Pharaoh who ruled with an iron fist, forcing your subjects to do terrible things for you."

"What Pharaoh doesn't force those below them into submission?" Ammon shouted. "Yes, I did make my subjects do things, but I accomplished a great many things as well."

"Your reign ended with Egypt being all but destroyed, leaving better kings to pick up your pieces!" Naomi shouted.

Ammon glared at Naomi. "Had you not lost your seal, I would enjoy prying it from your grasp… My reign was one of greatness and prosperity, but no one could see that. They couldn't see the great changes I was making to Egypt, and instead of embracing me like a hero, they took to rioting and revolving… THE ONLY REASON EGYPT WAS DESTROYED WAS BECAUSE MY SUBJECTS WREAKED IT IN DEFYANCE!" A chilling wind blew through the throne room, forcing everyone to brace themselves and attempt to shield themselves. "AND WHAT SORT OF PROTESTING COMES FROM DESTROYING YOUR OWN HOME? OH FUCKING FANTASTIC, YOU DESTROYED PROPERTY AND GOT ME KILLED AND BANISHED FROM THE THRONE, BUT GUESS WHAT? YOU HAVE TO NOW CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR MESS!"

The wind died down, letting everyone stand up normally again. Shin turned to Naomi, impressed with her intelligence. Vince, however, was confused. "Wait, killed?"

"Ammon the Terrible was dragged off his throne by men in masks and ripped limb from limb." Naomi muttered, earing grossed out faces from everyone there. "He was also beaten with those limbs, before being burned to death in a ceremonial fire to cleanse Egypt of his impure soul."

"A bit too bad that didn't work…" Ammon hissed, pointing towards the mask on his face. "My soul thirst for vengeance, so I transferred my soul into one of the masks my former subjects wore just before I died, and while these masks were destroyed shortly after my 'death', this one proved indestructible. Amazing what a soul can do to an objects structure. This mask cannot be destroyed by any means, as long as I inhabit it… but alas, my spirit was too weak for possession, or even awareness."

"I read that a mask was buried in the tomb of Ammon." Naomi stated. "So that mask…"

"Was buried with my ashes." Ammon laughed. "Amazing how ironic that is. My mask was placed with my ashes, where I spent more than 3000 years gaining conscious and strength… and when 3000 years had passed, who came to my tomb, but my master."

"The Masked Man." Yuga muttered.

"Correct." Ammon stated. "I owe him much, but alas I do not serve loyalty to him. I told him about the Wicked Gods, and… the rest is history. While he seeks the Wicked Gods, however, I seek a body that I can control permanently, to return to life, and to seek my vengeance against Egypt. This body is not one I can transfer my soul to, however, as it is not a duelist's body… Your bodies, however, might be fine… so we will have a gambit duel. I will fight all of you and defeat you, taking your seals to transfer to the door for my master. All of you will fall before me, and your bodies tested for hosting my soul… let's begin with Ruka, then."

"You aren't taking our bodies, and you aren't going to take our seals either." Ruka shouted, activating her duel pad. "I'll defeat you right here and now!"

Ammon chucked, a golden duel pad with a golden blade appearing on his hand. Although it was electronic, it had a very ancient Egypt style to it. "Then back up your claim with your actions, young duelist."

"Duel!"

Ruka: 4000 vs Ammon: 4000

"I'll begin." Ammon said, smirking and looking at his hand. _Perfect, the card is in my hand exactly as planned._ "I'll begin by placing one card face down… the card to your destruction." Upon saying this, everyone looked at him confused, but he ignored them. "Then I'll place a monster in facedown defense mode and end my turn."

 _What kind of card could that be? If it's a simple trap card, I don't see how bad it could be._ "Then it's my turn." Ruka declared, drawing a card. "I activate the field spell card, Aroma Garden! Once per turn, when I control at least Aroma monster, I can gain 500 life points. Farther more, when I activate this effect, all my monsters gain 500 attack and defense points until the end of your next turn. Additionally, if a face-up Aroma monster I control is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points."

"Yes!" Naomi cheered, clapping her hands together. "Ruka's ultimate card! Now she'll always have more life points then Ammon!"

Ruka nodded, smiling. "Next, I place one card facedown and I'll summon Aromage Rosemary in attack mode (1800/700)! I'll now activate my Aroma Garden, increasing my Aromage Rosemary's attack and defense points by 500 and gaining 500 life points!"

"That won't happen." Ammon laughed, tapping his duel pad. "I activate my continuous trap card, Bad Reaction to Simochi!"

"Huh?" Ruka asked, looking confused along with everyone else. Roku, however looked grim.

"Wait, what does that card do?" Shin asked.

"Bad Reaction to Simochi does damage to your opponent whenever they attempt to recover life points." Roku explained. "It not only prevents your opponent from gaining life points, but damages them for the amount they attempted to recover."

"Your friend is right." Ammon chuckled. "So instead of Ruka gaining 500 life points, she losses 500!"

Ruka grit her teeth, as electricity coursed through her body (Ruka: 4000 - 3500). "But my Aromage Rosemary still gains 500 attack and defense points because I activated Aroma Garden (Aromage Rosemary: 1800/700 - 2300/1200). Aromage Rosemary, attack his face down monster now!" Rosemary twirled her staff and sent a stream of bubbles flying out of it. The bubbles slammed into the defense monster, revealing itself as Malebranche of the Burning Abyss (800/2000) before vaporizing into thin air. "I end my turn there." _This is not going to be fun. Until I destroy his trap card, any attempts to gain life points will be in vain._

"It's my turn now." Ammon said, drawing a card. "I activate the field spell card, The Gates of Dark World! All Fiend-Type monsters gain 300 attack and defense points. Next, I summon Snoww, Unlight of Dark World (1700/0 - 2000/300). Now you're left with a choice, girl. Risk 500 more life points to power up your mage to kill my Snoww, or watch as she is destroyed on my next turn, and you'll lose 1000 life points and your monster!"

"Wait, why would she lose 1000 life points?" Shin asked.

"Because of Aroma Garden's effect." Roku explained. "Normally, any Aroma monster Ruka loses to destruction would replenish her life points by 1000, but since that guy has Bad Reaction to Simochi on the field, any life gaining effects are reversed."

"So instead of gaining 1000, Ruka would lose 1000 life points." Asami stated.

"Come on, guys! Don't get so down!" Vince shouted. "My girlfriend's got this dirtbag beat!"

"Ignoring the 'girlfriend' part…" Yuga stated. "Vince is right. Ruka will win this one!"

"Don't be so sure about your friend." Ammon stated. "In the end, either I destroy her… or she will destroy herself! Now I end my turn by putting this card facedown, leaving you with your choices (Aromage Rosemary: 2300/1200 - 1800/700)."

"Here's my choice!" Ruka shouted, drawing a card. The second she looked at it, a smile spread across her face. "How about I destroy you with a different monster. I sacrifice my Aromage Rosemary to summon Aromage Bergamot (2400/1800)!"

"Awesome!" Naomi exclaimed. "With that monster, Ruka can destroy that fiend and make a nice 400 dent in that guy's life points."

"Attack, destroy his Snoww now!" Ruka declared.

"I don't think so, activate my trap card." Ammon stated, tapping his duel pad. "Kunai with chain! The monster equipped with this card gains 500 attack points. In addition, your monster is changed into defense mode (Snoww, Unlight of Dark World: 2000/300 - 2500/300)."

As Bergamot knelt on the ground, and her card appeared underneath her sideways, Ruka clenched her fist, gritting her teeth again. "I… end my turn."

"I don't get it." Asami muttered. "Why hasn't Ruka bolstered her defenses with trap cards?"

"Most of Ruka's cards revolve around Life Point gain and destruction via that gain." Roku explained. "Unless she destroys that trap card of Ammon's, she can't do much."

"It's my turn once again." Ammon stated, drawing a card. "I set a monster facedown, then, I'll attack your Bergamot with my Snoww, Unlight of Dark World! And even though your monster is in defense mode, you're going to lose life points thanks to your own card!" Snoww raised his hand, blasting Bergamot with dark magic. The flower mage exploded in a sea of red peddles, which all suddenly turned and flew at Ruka, slamming into the green haired girl as she screamed out in pain (Ruka: 3500 - 2500). "Finally, I end my turn."

Ruka growled, gritting her teeth as she put her fingers on her deck. _I can't lose this… I absolutely refuse to lose this!_ "I draw!" Ruka drew her card, looking at it from the corner of her eye. "I activate the spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"Yes!" Everyone shouted, minus Ammon, who's eyes widened as he screamed out "What!?"

"This spell card summons up a powerful gust of wind, destroying any magic or trap card I choose, and I pick your trap card; Bad Reaction to Simochi!" Ruka explained, as a powerful gust of wind kicked up on her side of the field, rushing over to Ammon's side, and slicing apart Ammon's trap card before vanishing just as quickly as it came."

"Yes, now Ruka can restore her life points!" Yuga shouted.

"I activate the trap card, Aegis of Gaia! This trap card restores my life points my 3000 (Ruka: 2500 - 5500), but if this card is removed from the field, I take 3000 life points in damage." Ruka stated. "Next, I put one monster in facedown defense mode and end my turn."

"Not much else she can do right now." Roku muttered. "She has no choice but to defend herself until she can figure out how to recover from this."

"It's my turn, and I am afraid you are out of time." Ammon said, drawing a card. "I sacrifice my Snoww, and my facedown monster, to summon my Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World (2700/1800 - 3000/2100)!" The two monsters vanished, only to be replaced by a giant gray and black dragon. "Now my dragon, attack her pathetic flower now!" The monster took a deep breath, letting out a stream of black fire.

"Too bad for you, my life points are still safe." Ruka stated. "Whenever my Dandylion is destroyed in battle, he summons two level 1 Fluff Tokens to my side of the field in defense mode (Fluff Token x2: 0/0)!"

"Those pathetic creatures won't safe guard your life points long." Ammon said, chuckling. "You may think you are safe from me, Ruka, but you are not. Not only do I have the better monsters, but that trap card you destroyed… I have two more lurking in my deck. So enjoy replenishing your life points while you still can, because it won't last forever. But for now, it is your turn."

 _Okay, so far so good._ Ruka thought. _I can regain life points safely again, but I need to get a strong monster out now, before he can play another one of those trap cards!_ "I'll draw!" _Looks like I have to take a risk._ "I play the spell card Magic Planter. My sending one continuous trap card I control to the graveyard, I can draw two cards. However, since I am sending Aegis of Gaia, I take the 3000 life points of damage that I recovered (Ruka: 5500 - 2500)."

"Let's hope that sacrifice was worth it." Roku muttered. "Because now she can't activate any effects that require her life points to be higher than her opponents anymore."

Ruka smirked. "Alright, I place one card facedown. Next, I set one monster facedown and end my turn."

"W-what!?" Shin gasped. "That's it!?"

"Shush!" Vince hissed, punching Shin in the shoulder, who moaned in pain.

"She has a plan." Yuga said, smiling at Ruka. "I can tell."

"Too bad her plan will be in vain." Ammon declared, drawing a card. _I have yet to draw my second Bad Reaction to Simochi, however I still have the stronger monster. Since those tokens cannot be sacrificed, and take up two of her monster slots, I'll just destroy her facedown monster._ "Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World, attack her facedown monster now!"

"Bad call, freak!" Ruka declared, as the black flames surrounded her monster as it was revealed. "You attacked my Aroma Jar, which cannot be destroyed in battle. Additionally, at the end phase of each of our respective turns, I gain 500 life points. To add more bad news to your plate, your attack activated my trap card, Dried Winds! Every time I gain life points, I can target one face up monster on your side of the field and destroy it."

Ammon growled. "So this is it, huh? Your famous two card combo?"

"That's right." Ruka said, nodding. "With this card combo, I can destroy your monsters at the end phase of every turn, and every time I activate Aroma Garden. No monster lasts long when these two cards are in place."

Ammon remained silent, looking at the field for a few moments. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Then I gain 500 life points (Ruka: 2500 - 3000), and with the effect of my Dried Winds trap card, your Dragon Lord is now destroyed!" Ruka declared, as a gust of brownish looking wind vaporized the dragon on Ammon's side of the field. "Now, I begin my turn!" Ruka drew her card. "I summon my Fire Princess (1300/1500), and each time I gain life points, she deals 500 life points of damage to you. Next, because I have my Aroma Jar on my field, I can activate my Aroma Garden. I gain 500 life points, and all my monsters gain 500 attack and defense till the end of your next turn. Furthermore, thanks to my Fire Princess, you lose 500 life points (Ruka: 3000 - 3500, Fluff Token x2: 0/0 - 500/500, Aroma Jar: 500/400 - 900/800, Fire Princess: 1300/1500 - 1800/2000, Ammon: 4000 - 3500). Now, my Fire Princess attacks your facedown monster!" Fire Princess twirled her staff, a steam of fire coming out of it and scorching the face down monster, which revealed itself to be Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (1600/1300). "I end my turn there."

"I draw." Ammon stated. "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn (Fluff Token x2: 500/500 - 0/0, Aroma Jar: 900/800 - 500/400, Fire Princess: 1800/2000 - 1300/1500)." _All I can do right now is bide my time… wait for my time to strike._

"My turn." Ruka said, drawing a card. "And this duel is over. I activate my Aroma Garden, increasing my life points by 500, and decreasing yours by 500 with Fire Princesses' special effect (Ruka: 3500 - 4000, Ammon: 3500 - 3000, Fluff Token x2: 0/0 - 500/500, Aroma Jar: 500/400 - 900/800, Fire Princess: 1300/1500 - 1800/2000). Next, I summon Aromaseraphy Angelica (0/0 - 500/500)!"

"Why did she summon that monster in attack mode?" Shin asked.

"Aromaseraphy Angelica is a tuner monster." Roku explained. "She's going to Synchro Summon."

"I tune my level 1 Aromaseraphy Angelica, my two level 1 Fluff Tokens and my level 4 Fire Princess!" Ruka declared. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, level 7, Black Rose Dragon (2400/2000 - 2900/2500)!"

Ammon smirked. "As impressive as that is, you still aren't going to win. Your dragon doesn't have the power needed to defeat me."

"I believe my dragon does, because now its special effect activates." Ruka explained. "By banishing a Plant-Type monster from my graveyard, I can target one defense position monster you have, change it to attack mode, and reduce the attack points of your monster to zero!"

"You can what!?" Ammon shouted, enraged.

"I banish my Plant-Type Aromage Rosemary to activate Black Rose Dragon's special effect!" Black Rose Dragon roared, sending out thorny vines, which latched onto Ammon's defense mode monster and changed it into attack mode, revealing it as Malebrance of the Burning Abyss (800/2000 - 0/2000). "Next, I switch my Aroma Jar to attack mode. Aroma Jar, attack his monster now!" A beam of energy came from the jar, vaporizing the monster (Ammon: 3000 - 2100). "Now, Black Rose Dragon, attack and end this duel!"

Black Rose Dragon breathed in, and then breathed out a large stream of purple and black fire. It engulfed Ammon, covering him entirely. As his life points dropped, Ammon screamed out, but then smirked. _So she managed to beat me… too bad I had to be restrained to this pathetic body, otherwise I could have dueled her at my best… oh well. Time to leave this body behind and find another host... until I can truly find a body to inhabit._ The golden mask vanished, revealing the face of an older man, which fell to the ground once the flames vanished, unconscious (Ammon: 2100 - 0).

Ruka Wins!

"Ammon's mask is gone!" Asami shouted.

"He probably ran like a coward, because the Masked Man might seal him back up in the tomb for losing." Vince muttered.

"Tamiko!" Roku shouted, running up to her and shaking her a bit. "Tamiko, can you hear me?"

Tamiko groaned a little, opening her eyes. "Oh… what happened?"

"Ammon was here." Roku said. "But it's ok, we defeated him!"

"Ammon!?" Tamiko shouted, sitting up in shock. "Oh, I should've warned you about him… should've known he'd be here…"

"It's ok, Tamiko." Ruka said, smiling at her. "He's gone now… but the question is… what do we do with him?" Ruka motioned to the business man Ammon left behind, who looked pale and unmoving.

"We need to get him to the hospital." Yuga said, attempting to pick him up. Roku and Vince ran over, helping him. "Come on, the portal is still here, so let's hurry before it decided to close on us."

Unknown to them, however, as they exited the portal, explained everything to Takada, and managed to get out of the cave to get the business man to the hospital, the Masked Man was watching them from the shadows, his fist clenched as he glared after them all. He then turned, looking behind him where Hotaru Honda stood, looking down in sadness.

"Do you see now? Your daughter has sided with the enemy, and she must be stopped." The Masked Man muttered.

Hotaru looked up at him, tears swelling in her eyes. "Her punishment… what will it be?"

"Depends on one thing…" The Masked Man said, looking at Hotaru in anger. "How much of the slack she left behind you are going to pick up. Capture all four of the remaining seals, and she will only get a slap on the wrist… fail me, and you BOTH will live forever in darkness."

Hotaru looked back down, and after a few moments, looked up at the Masked Man with determination in her eyes. "All four seals will be yours, my master."


	20. The Synchro Summoning Competition part 1

**I'm really hoping this chapter is good, since I just realized before writing it that I had NO idea what exactly the Synchro Competition was going to be and kinda made it up at the last minute.**

 **That being said, I think the duel at the end is my best written one yet! I also somewhat figured out how to make this duel a two part one, like many people wanted me to do, so yay me!**

 **Thanks to** **D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, Draen and pokemonking0924 for reviewing Chapter 19!**

 **Also, just to let you guys know, there is an authors note at the end of the chapter containing a bit of information clearing something up in this chapter in case anyone is confused about it, so just read that when you are done reading the chapter. With that being said, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

March was soon upon Union Duel School, and so was midterms, projects, and the occasional incident of someone trying to sneak liquor into campus to celebrate an Irish holiday known as St. Patrick's Day. For many students, this time of the year was very stressful, especially for the seniors, who were practically living at the library 24 hours a day currently. The freshman didn't have too much to worry about, except for the ones who were going to try earning the monster that Professor Toma was going to reward the winner of the Synchro competitions.

"I believe that covers everything I have to teach you." Professor Toma stated, putting down the chalk she was using to write an explanation on how Accel Synchro Summoning worked. "It is now time for you to hear the rules of the competition."

Every student was on the edge of their seat at this point. Even the ones who weren't going to participate in the competition, like Shin and Naomi, were very focused on Professor Toma. Yuga was probably the most focused, as he was very determined to win the card.

"You'll be competing for a monster known as Clear Wing Synchro Dragon." Professor Toma explained. "The competition will have three stages, each one requiring you to pass the first stage to continue on. Of course, you may opt out of competing for Clear Wing, but everyone must do the first stage, as it involves your midterm test."

 _Oh, you got to be kidding me!_ Yuga practically screamed inside of his head.

"Anyone who gets above a 75 percent on the midterm, and opts to compete for Clear Wing, will move on to stage 2." Toma explained. "In stage 2 of the competition, which will take place in the gym next Thursday at 3 pm, each student will be given a challenge involving Synchro Summoning. You will be placed in a mock duel, already in progress, and using the cards provided to you, you must not only accurately defeat your opponent but also demonstrate knowledge on why you did what you did during the simulation."

 _I thought this was a competition, not a series of tests…_ Yuga sighed.

"The third stage… is a dueling tournament." Toma stated.

"Now that's my cup of tea!" Yuga thought out loud. Realizing he said it out loud, and now under the piercing glare of Professor Toma, Yuga sheepishly laughed and sunk a bit in his chair, to the giggles of many students.

"As I was saying…" Toma sighed. "Whoever gets to stage 3 will be dueling in a tournament style format, to which the rules of each duel will be explained when we get to that point. Stage 3 will take place next Friday at 3 pm. Class dismissed."

"Man, stages 1 and 2 are going to suck." Yuga sighed, getting up. "But at least stage 3 will be dueling, my specialty!"

"Well, look at it this way." Ruka stated, walking out of the classroom with Yuga. "Stage 2 is a duel in progress, so there is that. And the Synchro test shouldn't be that bad…"

But come Monday, Yuga felt like he could die. The Synchro Summoning test was the hardest test he had taken so far at Union, and when he was walking out of that classroom, Yuga had a very bad feeling he had failed. However, when he checked his grades that night…

"I passed!?" Yuga said, his face inches from the screen of his duel pad, staring at the '80%' that was on the display. "YES! I'm not out of the competition yet!"

"You still gotta get through Thursday, then stage 3." Shin muttered, looking up from his Dueling History textbook. "Yuga, aren't you the least bit worried?"

"About?" Yuga asked, looking at Shin in confusion. "If you're gonna say worried about the Shadow Duelists, then not really. We beat Ammon, and from what I can tell, he was one of their best!"

"Not that." Shin muttered. "You're forgetting who else is competing for Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, didn't you?"

Yuga tilted his head. "You mean Ruka?"

"Of course I mean Ruka!" Shin moaned. "I mean… she's amazing at Synchro Summoning. Hell, I know she 100 percented that test for sure, and I also know that stage 2 will be a cake walk for her… Yuga, you only beat Ruka last time you two dueled because she got flustered and lost focus… what if you can't win this time?"

"We won't know till I duel her, bro." Yuga said, smiling. "Besides, going up against her again would be a lot of fun!"

"Sure… fun." Shin sighed, giving up.

Thursday came very quickly, with tons of midterms and other homework assignments serving as distractions. Yuga made his way to the Gym after the Deck Building Tactics piratical, to find only 9 students were in the Gym, among them Ruka. Yuga took his place next to her, and would've said something, but Toma instantly began to talk once Yuga was in the small crowd.

"And that's it." Toma said, looking at the ten students. "That should be all of you."

"Wait, out of 100 freshman, only 10 of us are competing now?" Ruka asked, confused.

"The others didn't make the cut, skipped the test…" Toma muttered, glaring at a name on her sheet. Yuga knew she was referring to Masuhiro, who was missing a ton of classes lately. "Or didn't check off that they wanted to compete any farther then they had to. Now, I will be providing you all a simulation, one that you have an hour to attempt to complete. You may begin."

At once, Yuga's duel pad beeped, as well as the other nine duel pads of the other students. Yuga at once opened his pouch, pulled out his duel pad, and turned on the screen to see a duel simulation. On his side of the field was Worm Call, and a facedown card. There was a pile of six cards, which Yuga assumed was his hand, as well as a graveyard with two cards in it, Reptilianne Viper and Pertilianne Gardna. A deck of only seven cards was below it, and one monster was in the extra deck. On the opponent's side of the field was two copies of Dragon Master Knight in attack mode, which made Yuga pale, and five copies of Gravity Bind, face up. Written on Yuga's side of the field was "LP: 100", and on the opponent's side was "LP: 13600".

"This situation is nuts!" Yuga exclaimed, staring at the field in shock.

"That's what makes it a challenge." Toma said. "It's a puzzle. A duelist must be able to think their way through complex situations like this one, even if they might logically never happen. Now remain silent, people are trying to work."

Yuga sighed and instantly began attempting to figure out the puzzle, but the more he attempted to complete it, the more he found himself getting beaten in the imaginary duel. A few students flat out gave up after a while, leaving the room in a huff. However, about thirty minutes into the allocated time, Yuga was finally making progress. Eventually, Yuga had the situation figured out, and submitted his results to Toma, who smiled upon seeing Yuga had completed the challenge. Yuga turned to Ruka, seeing that she finished at the same time.

"Excellent work, you two." Toma whispered to them, making sure she didn't distract the other students. "Meet back here at 3 pm. You can go."

"That was almost impossible." Yuga sighed, shaking his head. "I only beat it out of pure stubbornness.

"Tomorrow, we'll see if the other two students that were left manage to get it." Ruka said, turning back to the gym where two other freshmen were attempting to solve the puzzle. "But I get the feeling it's going to just be us."

Sure enough, Yuga entered the Gym at 2:50 pm to find that, although the entire class was there to watch, the only one ready to duel at all was Ruka. Yuga smiled at her, standing next to her for about five minutes, while the other students gathered and took their seats. Yuga noticed Roku, Shin, Vince, Asami and Naomi were very close to the front, and were smiling down at their friends, who gave him a large smile back. Eventually, at 5 minutes till 3, Toma stepped up to them and cleared her throat.

"This duel isn't like your previous ones." Toma explained, looking between Yuga and Ruka. "To keep it fair, the points you will earn in your duels will scale with the highest amount of Synchro Summons performed by a single duelist."

"What do you mean, Professor Toma?" Ruka asked.

"I mean that your total score will reflect how many Synchro Summons were made." Toma explained. "For example, if your opponent Synchro Summons four times, and you only Synchro Summon three times, the net total points for each Synchro Summon will be 400, 100 for each. To keep it fair, your own summons will ALSO be out of 400 points, with you earning approximately 133 points per summon. This is within limits, such as the difference in number of Synchro Summons. If your opponent manages to summon seven Synchros and you summon only one… well that will be judged accordingly, depending on how the duel goes. Also, the winner will get a certain number of points depending on the number of Synchro Summons the opponent with the least Synchros had. So, in our case, 133 points will be rewarded to the winner." Toma cleared her throat. "If you want to make sure your opponent doesn't win Clear Wing, even if they beat you, you must perform at your best with each summon, but also make sure that you summon equal amounts to them so their win bonus is only 100."

"So we are scored the same amount of points to make sure it's fair?" Yuga asked.

"Correct." Toma explained. "Also remember just summoning them isn't enough. You must use them effectively to get the max amount of points. Let's go back to our pervious example, 4 Synchros to 3, 400 points up for grabs and 133 for the winner. Let's say the person with three Synchros does all theirs flawlessly and even summons a Synchro on the first turn, which is 10 bonus points. They get a score of 410. The person who summoned four, on the other hand, doesn't do so well in using their Synchros, and nets themselves only 270 points. While they still get 133 bonus points due to their win, they only have 403 points, thus the duelist that performed flawlessly, but still lost, gets Clear Wing Synchro Dragon."

Yuga gulped. Compared to him, Ruka was an expert Synchro Summoner. If he wanted to truly get Clear Wing, he would need to play at his best… and then some.

"Remember, this duel's objective is not just to win, but to show your skill in Synchro Summoning." Professor Toma explained, looking between Yuga and Ruka. "You also must utilize your Synchro Monsters effectively. While winning will net you points, it doesn't guarantee you will win Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. If you win, but your opponent has better strategy with their Synchro Monsters, they will win the card. Also, keep in mind that no other Extra Deck summoning, besides summoning Pendulum Monsters back from the Extra Deck, can be used, or you will get docked 1/6th of the total number of points. Any questions?"

"None here." Ruka said, activating her duel disk.

"I'm all good." Yuga replied, as he did the same.

Toma nodded. "Then you two may begin when you are ready."

Yuga nodded, drawing five cards. "Come to think of it, Ruka, this is the first time we've dueled since September."

Ruka smiled, also drawing five cards. "This won't be like last time, Yuga. I've learned focus and not to let the duel go to my head since then."

"To be fair, I've gotten better as well." Yuga replied, smirking.

"Then show me!"

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Ruka: 4000

"Give us a good duel, you two!" Asami shouted.

"I'll start this time." Yuga said, pulling two cards from his hand. "I'll place the Scale 4 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and the Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon, into my Pendulum Zones!" Odd-Eyes Pendulum and Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon both appeared on the field, each surrounded by a column of light blue light. "With this, I can summon monsters in-between levels 5 through 7. I Pendulum Summon, the level 7 Dragonpit Magician (900/2700)!"

"Odd choice of monsters in your Pendulum Zones." Ruka stated, looking at Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. "I never have seen you place him in the Pendulum Zone before."

"This duel is different." Yuga explained. "Since I need to Synchro Summon, I need to be smart about how I play my cards. Now, I normal summon the level 1 tuner monster Effect Velier (0/0) from my hand!"

"A level 7 monster and a level 1 tuner." Naomi muttered.

"He's going for a Level 8 Synchro Monster." Roku explained.

"I tune my level 7 Dragonpit Magician to my level 1 Effect Veiler!" Yuga announced, as Effect Veiler became a green circle of runic energy. Dragonpit Magician flew into it, becoming seven orbs of light. "Hero's blade that sets forth unyielding light! Now and here, appear with a flash and awaken!" A burst of green energy surrounded the orbs, going directly through the circle. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8, Enlightment Paladin (2500/2000)!"

"Wow, Yuga Synchro Summoned on his first turn!" Shin gasped, awe struck. "Yuga must have been going for an early lead in points."

"But he miscalculated." Roku stated. "Sure, a first turn Synchro Summon is difficult to accomplish, and while Yuga summoned his monster in near flawless dueling, he miscalculated Enlightment Paladin's timing."

"I'm confused." Shin mumbled. "Why's that?"

"Because of Enlightment Paladin's effect." Vince explained. "When Enlightment Paladin is Synchro Summoned using a 'Magician' Pendulum Monster, he allows the duelist to target one Spell Card in their graveyard and add it to their hand. By summoning him when there are no spell cards in the graveyard, that effect cannot be used. Toma's going to not give him as many points for not playing him when it really could've counted."

"So he should've waited till his second turn to summon that monster." Asami said.

"Yuga still has Enlightment Paladin's other effect." Naomi stated. "But wither he can use it will depend on Ruka's next move."

"At the end phase of my turn, I activate Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's Pendulum Effect." Yuga declared. "By destroying him from my Pendulum Zone, and sending him to my Extra Deck, I can add one Pendulum Monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to my hand, and I choose Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon, which has 1200 attack points. Your turn, Ruka."

 _What was Yuga thinking?_ Ruka thought to herself, looking across the field at Yuga. _Waiting till next turn to summon Enlightment Paladin would've gotten him WAY more points than a first turn summon…_ "My turn!" Ruka declared, drawing a card. "I activate the field spell card, Aroma Garden!" The arena around them transformed into a mystical garden filled with flowers and a black arch, and they stood on a grey stone pathway. "I'm sure I don't need to explain this card to you, Yuga, but just as a refresher; Once per turn, when I control at least Aroma monster, I can gain 500 life points. Farther more, when I activate this effect, all my monsters gain 500 attack and defense points until the end of your next turn. Additionally, if a face-up Aroma monster I control is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points."

 _Her signature card._ Yuga thought to himself. _Now that that card is on the field, I need to be careful about how I duel._

"I next activate the spell card, Double Summon!" Ruka declared, showing the spell card from her hand.

"That was never in her deck before." Yuga muttered.

"She must have added that card to her deck just for this duel." Roku stated. "My sister is crafty when she needs to be."

"This allows me to normal summon two monsters this turn instead of one." Ruka stated. "And I'll summon my level 4 Aromage Rosemary (1800/700)! Since I can perform an additional summon this turn, I'll summon the tuner monster, my level 3 Counselor Lily (400/1500)!"

"Now she can tune them for a level 7 synchro monster." Shin groaned.

"Whatcha groaning about?" Vince snapped, glaring at Shin.

"Ah, nothing!" Shin cowered, getting closer to Naomi.

"Before I Synchro Summon, I activate the special effect of my Aroma Garden." Ruka announced. "Since Aromage Rosemary is on my side of the field, I gain 500 life points, and all monsters on my side of the field gain 500 attack and defense till the end of your next turn (Ruka: 4000 - 4500, Aromage Rosemary: 1800/700 - 2300/1200, Counselor Lily: 400/1500 - 900/2000)."

"Why didn't she Synchro Summon, then do that?" Asami asked.

"Because she wouldn't have been able to use it." Naomi explained. "Aroma Garden can only activate its effect if an Aroma monster is on the field. Ruka has no level 7 synchro monsters that count as Aroma monsters."

"Now I tune my level 3 Counselor Lily to my level 4 Aromage Rosemary!" Ruka declared. "Spirit that rules the field from the forest of antiquity, appear in the flesh and descend! Synchro Summon! Level 7, Ancient Pixie Dragon (2100/3000 - 2600/3000)!" A dark blue dragon appeared on the field with green hair, giant fairy looking wings, and a long tail. It did not have legs, but had long arms and rested on its serpent like body.

"What a play." Asami stated. "Ruka can wipe out Yuga's monster with ease now, and deal a good dent of damage to his life points!"

"That's not what she's aiming for." Roku explained. "That monster is deadlier then it looks."

"What do you mean?" Shin asked.

"Watch and see." Roku replied, keeping his eye on his sister.

"I now activate the special effect of the Consuelor Lily from my graveyard!" Ruka declared. "When she's used for a Synchro Summon, the monster she was used to summon gains 1000 attack points till the end of my turn, at the cost of 500 of my life points (Ruka: 4500 - 4000, Ancient Pixie Dragon: 2600/3500 - 3600/3500)."

"N-no way!" Yuga gasped, staring in shock at Ruka.

"Farther more, I activate the effect of my Ancient Pixie Dragon!" Ruka announced. "Once per turn, as long as there is a Field Spell card in play, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field in attack mode!"

"Say what?" Yuga gasped, as Ancient Pixie Dragon roared, and shock waves coursed through the air, vaporizing Enlightment Paladin.

"Sorry, Yuga…" Ruka said, a sad expression on her face. "Maybe this is overkill, but we were told to use our Synchro Monsters effectively… now, Ancient Pixie Dragon, attack Yuga's life points directly!" Ancient Pixie Dragon inhaled and breathed out what looked like a stream of black and purple fairy dust. Yuga braced himself, taking the full blunt of the attack, flying a bit backwards and landing on his back (Yuga: 4000 - 400). "I'll end my turn with that... (Ancient Pixie Dragon: 3600/3500 - 2600/3500)"

"Yeah, go baby!" Vince cheered. "Knock him out on the next turn!"

"That was…" Shin muttered.

"Quite the move." Naomi finished for him.

"I can't believe she managed to take him all the way from 4000 life points to only 400 in a single turn." Asami mumbled.

"That's Ruka for you." Roku replied. "She's grown a lot within this first year. Granted, she's always been an outstanding duelist, but her skills have hit a whole new level now."

"Excellent! Well done, Ruka!" Toma clapped, then began writing on her clip board. "Extra points for not only utilizing Ancient Pixie Dragon to the fullest, but also performing a first turn Synchro Summon!"

"Thanks, Professor." Ruka replied sadly, but as she turned to the field again, she was surprised to see Yuga jump to his feet, grinning widely.

"That was amazing, Ruka!" Yuga cheered, beaming. "You really got me there!"

"I-I… what?" Ruka said shocked. "I took you down to just 400 life points on my very first turn!"

"Yeah, and it was amazing dueling!" Yuga said happily. "I told you back then, you are one of the best duelists I've ever met, and this only proves it!" Yuga then smirked, putting his fingers on his deck. "Now the real duel begins… draw!"

To Be Continued…

* * *

 **Authors note: Those curious as to the puzzle solution for the puzzle Yuga and Ruka needed to compete, you need look no farther then Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's World Championship 2011: Over the Nexus. The puzzle Yuga and Ruka had to solve is directly from that game, Duel Puzzle Number 6 of the downloaded puzzles.**


	21. The Synchro Summoning Competition part 2

**This chapter took forever to get out due to three reasons: I wanted to beat Pokemon Sun and Moon, school work is becoming a nightmare (senior in college), and severe writers block. I hope I did OK, I actually wrote the rest of this while semi-intoxicated so... sue me.**

 **I actually am slightly curious about something though. I want to start a Pokemon Story that I will keep, similar to how this one has become so popular and has been around for almost a year... shit it's been a long ride. I have a nasty habit of starting stories but not finishing them and deleting them after awhile, and I actually want your opinion on something (if you are a Pokemon fan that is). Should my Pokemon Story be: 1) A school based story, similar to this one; 2) A rewrite of Kalos, essentially how I think X and Y should have been; or 3) a story that takes place in Alola. Or a different idea. Please let me know.  
**

 **Thanks to** **Draen, Nirvash Neo, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, and pokemonking0924 for reviewing Chapter 20. And also a thank you to Evil Money, who reviewed Chapter 19 after I posted Chapter 20.**

* * *

Ruka could only stare in shock at Yuga, who was continuing to grin from ear to ear as he stood there, getting ready to draw his card. How could someone who just lost almost all their life points within the first turn be thrilled about that? It baffled her how Yuga thought and acted sometimes.

"Now the real duel begins… draw!" Yuga shouted, drawing a card. "I place the Scale 1 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon in my Pendulum Zone! Now I can summon monsters anywhere from level 2 through 7! I Pendulum Summon, from my Extra Deck… Dragonpit Magician, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500/2000) and from my hand, the level 4 Performapal Uni (800/1500) and the level 3 tuner monster Nobledragon Magician (700/1400)!"

"Yuga summoned four monsters at once!" Shin gasped.

"I think I know what he is planning." Roku muttered.

"I tune my level 4 Performapal Uni to my level 3 Nobledragon Magician!" Yuga declared. "Lofty rose that buds in a garden of integrity; bloom here, watered by blue moonlight! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 7, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon (2400/2000)!"

"So he's using my monster now, huh?" Ruka said, smirking a little.

"I see now." Asami stated. "With Moonlight's effect, Yuga can destroy Ancient Pixie Dragon, then attack with both Odd-Eyes and Moonlight Dragon."

"Noble Dragon Magician's special effect." Yuga stated. "If she is used in a Synchro Summon where the other monster tuned with her is not an 'Odd-Eyes' monster, she is placed on the bottom of my deck." Yuga took Nobledragon from the board, and put her in the bottom of the deck. "Now, I activate Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's special effect! When this monster is special summoned, I can target one special summoned monster you control, and return it to your Extra Deck or hand. Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, return Ancient Pixie Dragon to the Extra Deck!"

 _Seems like Yuga is finally going to use his monsters effectively._ Toma thought.

"Hold on, Yuga!" Ruka shouted, pulling a card from her hand. "I activate my Effect Veiler! If I discard her from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate the effects of Black Rose Moonlight Dragon until the end of the turn."

Yuga sighed. "Alright, I didn't want to do this, but it's time for Plan B. I overlay my level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and my level 7 Dragonpit Magician!"

"Wait, you what?" Ruka gasped, shocked.

"What is Yuga thinking?" Shin exclaimed. "Professor Toma said if they use Fusion or Xyz Summons, they get docked points!"

"Dragon of absolute cold, descend and freeze the opposition in place with fear!" Yuga chanted, as his two monsters flew into a vortex of energy. "Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 7! Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon (2800/2500)!" The blue Odd-Eyes dragon appeared in a flash of light, roaring.

"Yuga, why did you do that?" Ruka asked, looking at Odd-Eyes Absolute. "You just lost some points because you Xyz Summoned!"

 _I just have to keep Ruka from Synchro Summoning again._ Yuga thought. _If I do that, I can still win Clear Wing despite the Xyz penalty._ "Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, attack Ruka's Ancient Pixie Dragon now!" Odd-Eyes breathed in and unleashed a blast of cold air, freezing Ruka's dragon. The ice shattered along with Ruka's dragon just a few moments later (Ruka: 4000 - 3800). "Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, direct attack!" Black Rose breathed in next, and sent out a stream of black and purple fire, torching Ruka, who cried out in shock (Ruka: 3800 - 1400).

"I activate the effect of my Aromaseraphy Angelica!" Ruka declared, holding out the card from her hand. "During either of our turns, I can discard this monster. When I do, I can target one Plant-type monster in my graveyard and gain life points equal to its attack. I choose my Aromage Rosemary! (Ruka: 1400 - 3200)"

"I'll end my turn there." Yuga said, grinning. "Dang, even when you are knocked down, you just pull another trick out to get back in the lead."

Ruka smirked. "I won't let you win that easily. It's my turn now!" Ruka drew her card, then looked at Yuga. "Sorry, Yuga, but it looks like I win."

"Hey, you can't say that yet." Yuga stated, pouting. "I still got my monsters."

"But I got this." Ruka said. "Come forth, Aromage Jasmine (100/1900)! And her special effect lets me special summon one plant-type monster, as long as my life points are higher than yours. So, come forth, my second Aromage Rosemary! Finally, I activate the effect of my Aromaseraphy Angelica!"

"Wait, but she's in the graveyard." Yuga said, baffled.

"It's because she's in the graveyard that I can activate her effect, Yuga." Ruka explained. "When she is in the graveyard, as long as my life points are higher than yours and I control one Aroma monster, I can special summon her from my graveyard, but she is banished when she leaves the field. Come forth! Aromaseraphy Angelica (0/0)! Next, I activate Aroma Garden's effect, and since I have Aroma monsters on my side of the field, I gain 500 life points, and all monsters on my side of the field gain 500 attack and defense till the end of your next turn (Ruka: 3200 - 3600, Aromage Rosemary: 1800/700 - 2300/1200, Aromage Jasmine: 100/1900 - 600/2400, Aromaseraphy Angelica 0/0 - 500/500). Now, I tune my level 4 Aromage Rosemary, my level 2 Aromage Jasmine and my level 1 Aromaseraphy Angelica!"

"Oh man, I was hoping she wouldn't Synchro Summon." Yuga groaned.

"Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom!" Ruka chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear now, level 7, Black Rose Dragon (2400/2000 - 2900/2500)! Now I activate the special effect of my Black Rose Dragon! When she is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy every card on the field!"

"Every card!?" Yuga gasped in shock. At that moment, Black Rose Dragon glowed with intense light, and suddenly exploded. Both of Yuga's monsters, as well as his Pendulum Zone monsters, were vaporized in the blast, as was Ruka's field spell card. "You may have nuked the field, but on my next turn, I can just summon a monster and attack you directly."

"There won't be a next turn." Ruka said, holding up the final card in her hand. "Sorry, Yuga, but it's like I said… I win. I activate my last card, Swing of Memories!" With this, I can special summon one monster from the graveyard, but it is destroyed at the end of the turn. Come forth, Black Rose Dragon (2400/2000)! And since Aroma Garden's effect continues despite it being destroyed, she returns with 2900 attack points (Black Rose Dragon: 2400/2000 - 2900/2500)!"

"Whoa." Vince said, not expecting Ruka's move.

"Not only did she nuke the field, but she managed to get Black Rose Dragon back on the field." Roku stated.

"Yuga lost." Shin muttered sadly. "There's no coming back from this…"

Yuga was looking down at his duel pad. "Sorry Odd-Eyes old pal… looks like we lost this one." But that's when he noticed something strange, an effect had yet to be used on one of his cards. He pressed the screen to bring it up, and noticed that Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon had an unused effect he still had access to. _But that's impossible… Odd-Eyes Absolute can only cancel attacks, not effects._ Suddenly, he heard an Odd-Eyes roar, and once again he seemed to teleport from the field, only this time instead of an icy environment, he seemed to be on a mountain side. He turned behind him to see a gaigantic meteorite behind him, with a dragon shape glowing deep inside, showing through the rocky surface of the meteor.

"Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon's special effect activates!" Yuga announced, to the gasps of everyone there.

"But Odd-Eyes Absolute can only negate attacks!" Ruka said. "And even if it did cancel special effects, it's too late to use it now."

"I don't mean that effect." Yuga said, grinning. "When Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon is sent to the graveyard by any means, I can special summon one Odd-Eyes monster from my Extra Deck, other than Absolute Dragon."

"Wait, what?" Ruka asked, shocked. "But you've never…"

"To be fair, Absolute Dragon's never been destroyed before except during the duel with Tamiko." Yuga stated. "And I didn't have any Odd-Eyes monsters in my Extra Deck then to summon, because I took Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon out that day because Takada wanted to examine it. Anyway, using Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon's effect, I can summon my newest Synchro Monster using no materials!"

"Wait, a Synchro Odd-Eyes?" Ruka asked, stunned.

"Dragon of great fire, crush the opposition like a comet striking down upon the land!" Yuga chanted, as a pillar of green light, similar to a Synchro Summon, appeared behind him. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon (2500/2000)!"

"I don't believe it…" Shin said in awe.

"That's the second time he's pulled a monster from his butt!" Vince huffed.

"Yeah, but once again, it really saved him." Asami muttered.

"Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon, huh?" Roku said, looking at the red Odd-Eyes in wonder.

Toma was staring at the field in shock, but then she smiled, pulling out her pen again and writing on her clip board. "A Synchro Summon performed by the effect of an Xyz Monster that was sent to the graveyard… interesting indeed."

"Since my Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon is in defense mode, my life points are safe." Yuga stated. "Even if you destroy him this turn, your Black Rose Dragon won't last, and I'll be free to attack."

"Yes, that is right." Ruka sighed, but then she smiled. "But that depends on if you got the cards to pull off a win! Black Rose Dragon, attack Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon now!" Black Rose Dragon inhaled, and let out a stream of black and purple fire, torching Odd-Eyes and destroying it. "I end my turn, so my Black Rose Dragon returns to the graveyard." Black Rose Dragon vanished before their eyes just then.

"Then it's my turn." Yuga said, putting his fingers on his deck to draw. _This is it. I need a good draw right now to end this duel… come on deck. Don't let me down!_ Yuga drew his card, looked at it, then smirked. "Alright, I place the scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician, and my second scale 8 Dragonpit Magician into my Pendulum Zones!"

"That let's Yuga summon back Odd-Eyes Mirage and Odd-Eyes Persona from his Extra Deck!" Asami stated.

"He still needs 1200 more to win." Naomi said. It all depends on the final card on his hand.

"Now I Pendulum Summon, from my extra deck, the level 3 Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon (1200/600), the level 5 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon (1200/2400) and… from my hand, the level 4 Wisdom-Eye Magician (1500/1500)!"

"Then it's over." Roku said, closing his eyes. "I really thought Ruka would win that duel."

"Attack, all three of my monsters!" Yuga declared. All three shot various attacks at Ruka, who braced herself by raising her arms to shield herself. When the attacks finished, Ruka lowered her arms, smiling at Yuga (Ruka: 3600 - 0).

Yuga Wins!

"Yuga wins the duel." Toma declared, standing up and walking forward. "But like I said before, while the duelist that wins the duel has a high chance of winning the card, it is not guaranteed, so let's take a gander at the results."

Yuga gulped. He performed one more Synchro Summon then Ruka, as well as won the duel, but would his performance be enough to net him the card?

"First, Ruka. You performed amazingly well. Not only were each of your Synchro Summons performed quickly and accurately, but you also used both of your Synchro Summoned monsters to their fullest ability. Also, your first monster with a first turn Synchro Summon, netting it 10 bonus points. You got 150 points for each monster, and ten bonus points, so that's 310 in total."

"Thanks, Professor." Ruka sad, bowing.

"Now for Yuga, who Synchro Summoned three times…technically. Your first summon wasn't used accurately and mistimed. Though a first turn summon, which net you bonus points, it means your points were only barely above the standard you get just for Synchro Summoning. You get 60 for your first monster."

 _That means both my other scores have to be good._ Yuga thought.

"Your summoning of Black Rose Moonlight Dragon was much better. You used the effect properly, but because it was canceled, the follow through wasn't good. Since you couldn't have predicted that, I am only taking 10 points, giving you 90 points, for a total so far of 150 points… however, you did Xyz Summon, which is minus 50 points, putting you back at 100."

 _Oh no!_ Yuga thought, his face pale. _I forgot the penalty for Xyz was 1/6 of the total score!_

"Now for your third summon." Toma said, and Yuga noticed she had a genuine smile etched on her face. "I was impressed by your use of your Xyz Monster to summon your Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon. Even though you didn't use any effects, it wasn't a true Synchro Summon, and only used it to defend your life points, I gave you fifteen extra points for your method, netting you 65 points. On top of that, your win granted you 150 points, putting you at 315. Congratulations, you won Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"I… I actually won the card?" Yuga asked, not believing it himself.

"Of course you did." Ruka said. "You were impressive during that duel with that surprise summon, and you did win after all. The whole points rule is mostly in effect just in case someone wins with poor Synchro Summons or doesn't Synchro at all and somehow still wins."

Yuga smiled, taking the card that was behind handed to him by Professor Toma. He then took Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon out of his deck, placing Clear Wing Synchro Dragon in with them. The cards seemed to shine a little, as if rejoicing about being together.

"Let's give a round of applause to Yuga!" Professor Toma shouted to the audience. Cheers erupted through the room, as students began clapping and standing on their feet for Yuga at the request of the Professor. Yuga couldn't help but grin widely, as both his arms were lifted into the air by Professor Toma and Ruka respectfully.

XxXxXxX Some Time Later XxXxXxX

"Yuga, did we really have to go out to eat this late?" Shin whined, following behind Yuga as the two of them were walking the streets of Fortune City.

"Oh, come on Shin!" Yuga smiled. "I was hungry, and besides I felt like a win like that deserved a celebration! Too bad no one else wanted to come…"

"Yeah, that's too bad." Shin whimpered, looking around scared. "Come on, Yuga. It's past 9 pm and who knows who is out on the streets right now. Couldn't we have called a cab?"

Yuga sweat dropped a little as he stopped walking, turning to face Shin with a sheepish grin on his face. "I kind of spent all my money on food, so…"

"That figures…" Shin sighed, following Yuga, who had started walking again. "But we could have… have…"

"Shin?" Yuga asked, turning to face Shin, but was met with the sight of Shin getting a gun held to his head by a teenage punk dressed entirely in black.

"Alright, dweeb." The thug announced, the gun pressing against Shin's temple. "Hand over all your possessions and no one has to be hurt!"

"Y-Yuga!" Shin shouted, but the thug quickly covered the smaller teen's mouth.

"And no shouting!" The thug hissed, pressing the gun to Shin's head harder. "Unless you want to face your maker!" The thug smirked, thinking he had these teens beat, but when he looked up at Yuga, his smile fell. The other teen had a dark aura surrounding him, and his eyes had transformed, taking on red in the right eye and green in the left. "H-Hey man, what is the deal?" The thug asked, but before he could even realize it was happening, Yuga had darted to his right and grabbed his hand with the gun, pulling it out of the thug's hand. Yuga then threw the gun, it spinning wildly as it easily cleared a building. "My gun! Man you are going to pay for that!"

Yuga glared, his eyes turning back to normal and his aura fading as Shin ran behind him. "You coward."

"Say what!?" The thug shouted, glaring at Yuga. "You got some nerve, punk!"

Yuga smirked. "Tell you what… I see that you have a duel pad and a deck. Duel me, and if you win I will surrender my possessions to you."

"Yuga…" Shin muttered.

The thug laughed at that. "You got guts dueling me, but not brains! I accept, and I will cream you!"

Yuga smirked, activating his duel pad. "If you were so sure you could beat me, you wouldn't have been a coward and held a gun to my friend."

The thug growled. "Oh yeah? There's only one way to find out, isn't there!"

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Thug: 4000

"I'll start by summoning my Naturia Eggplant (1000/700)." The thug announced. "Then I'll activate my spell card, Quick Summon! This magic card allows me to summon a monster instantly, and I choose my Naturia Horneedle (1800/100). Your turn, punk."

"Those don't scare me." Yuga smirked, drawing a card. "My turn. I'll set the scale 2 Oafdragon Magician and the scale 5 Wisdom-Eye Magician into my Pendulum Zones, allowing me to summon multiple monsters from level 3 to 4."

"A pendulum summoner huh?" The thug said in annoyance.

"I'll pendulum summon the level 4 Performapal Uni (800/1500) and the level 3 Nobledragon Magician (700/1400)!" Yuga declared, both monsters appearing on his side of the field.

The thug blinked, but then burst out laughing instantly. "Are you serious? I was worried for a moment there about you being a pendulum summoner, but that is all? Your monsters are pathetic, dude!"

Yuga glared at that. "You can insult me all you want… but never insult my monsters."

"And why is that, you bastard?" The thug said, flipping Yuga the bird.

"Because when my monsters are together, they can perform incredible things, like summoning my newest monster!" Yuga declared. "I tune my level 3 Nobledragon Magician to my level 4 Performapal Uni! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (2500/2000)!" In a flash of green light, a white dragon had appeared on the field behind Yuga. Like Ruka's Ancient Pixie Dragon, he didn't have any legs on his serpent like body, but he had glowing greenish wings, long arms, and bits of blue on his body. He roared, his black and white stripped tail trashing.

"A Synchro Summon?" The thug said, shocked. However, he quickly regained his composure. "Well, that was unexpected, but your monster won't survive."

"And why is that?" Yuga asked.

"Simple." The thug laughed. "Because of Naturia Horneedle's special ability! Whenever my opponent special summons a monster, I can choose to sacrifice one Naturia monster on my side of the field. If I do, your special summoned monster is automatically destroyed!" At that Naturia Eggplant was eaten by Naturia Horneedle, and the stinger on the hornet monster started to glow. "Naturia Horneedle, destroy that dragon!"

"Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's special effect activates!" Yuga declared. "When a monster effect is activated that targets exactly one Level 5 or higher monster on the field, I can negate the activation of the effect and destroy the monster."

"Say what!?" The thug shouted, as Naturia Horneedle was vaporized instantly, becoming tiny sparkles in the air.

"Furthermore, if Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect destroys the monster, it gains attack equal to the original attack of the destroyed monster (Clear Wing Synchro Dragon: 2500/2000 - 4300/2000)." Yuga explained.

"4300 attack points!?" The thug shouted, taking a few steps backwards. "T-that can't be right!"

"Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack his life points directly!" Yuga commanded. Clear Wing charged forward, it's wings glowing green, leaving behind a trail of green light. He slammed into the thug, who took the full brunt of the blow, falling over, his eyes rolling into the back of his head (Thug: 4000 - 0).

Yuga Wins!

"Next time, think twice before you threaten someone." Yuga glared at the unconscious thug.

"Uhhh, I think he's knocked out." Shin whispered. "Should we… call the police?"

Yuga nodded. "Yeah… we should do that."

Yuga stepped forward and looked down at the thug for a moment, before turning to Shin, who was talking quickly to the police on the phone. _I could have been just like him if the orphanage pushed me too far…_


	22. Professor Hirose

**On the day I posted this chapter, it is the birthday of this story! I posted the first chapter exactly one year ago today! It's unbelievable to me, to think this story has not only lasted this long, but is as popular as it got.** **Thanks to everyone for reading this story and sticking with it for a year! I also want to think each and every person that has not only reviewed, but ever read the story at all. According to Fanfction, there are a total of 10,000+ views on this story! Thank you all!** **I also want to address the 110 reviews, the 27 followers, and the 27 favorites on this story. Each and every person that has reviewed, favorited and followed, get's my biggest thanks! I will do my best to keep this story going as best I can, even if I do take long breaks way too often... stupid real life.**

 **So per usual, thanks to the following people for their reviews on chapter 21: Nirvash Neo, Draen, Wiz Crew, pokemonking0924, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, Martyn (Guest) and Natalie (Guest).  
**

 **Like Chapter 21, there is also a small authors note at the end of this chapter too. Be sure to read it to avoid any confusion. Enjoy!**

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A small thud could dimly be heard by a man sitting behind am old, wooden desk, paperwork scattered all around. He sighed, looking out the window, his eyes squinting a little behind his thick rimmed glasses as he watched two kids fighting with one another, two women running forward to break them up. He groaned a little, turning back to his desk and ruffling through the papers, each one with the same logo on the upper left hand corner, of a kid holding the hands of two women, and under the picture bold, fancy fronted letters spelling out 'Fortune City Orphanage'.

Screaming could now be heard, and without even looking the man guessed that the two kids that were fighting had been separated, and were now being scolded by the staff members. This would happen often here, and if this man had to guess the identity of the two kids involved, he would place $100 on one of them being Yuga. He adjusted his glasses, and began reading the papers on his desk, but he didn't have the ability to do this for long, as about five minutes later, his door was flung open, two identically dressed women, each with their brown hair in buns, dragging in two boys.

The first boy looked like a brute, with a large build. His large nose was bleeding, and one of his coal black eyes was blackened and swelling, his lip also puffing up a bit. The second boy was a younger Yuga, who wore a red, worn out T-shirt a size too big for him, and ripped tan pants. Neither boy had shoes, and the man guessed they were lost in the previous fight.

"So…" The lady dragging the brute looking kid said, "Care to explain yourself, Tony?"

The brute kid, identified as Tony, huffed a little. "I started nothing."

"Don't lie!" Yuga yelled, glaring through a black eye of his own, spitting out a little blood from his mouth as he spoke. "You always pick on me, Tony!"

"Shut up!" Yelled the second women, hitting Yuga on the back side of the head. "Mr. Abe, I for one think these two children should be punished severely for breaking the rules. Might I suggest no dinner?"

"You can't do that to me!" Tony shouted, rounding on the woman holding him. "I'm a growing boy!" It was his turn to be smacked upside the head.

"That's quite enough." Abe stated calmly, looking at the two kids. "Punishment you say? Tony, you will be revoked from your recess privileges for two weeks. I am constantly hearing of you fighting the other orphans and it is getting out of hand. Perhaps some time in your room while the other kids are outside will make you rethink your behavior."

"Aww, come on, Abe!" Tony whined.

"And Yuga?" One of the ladies asked. "What about him?"

Mr. Abe looked at seven year old Yuga for a moment, before looking at the two girls. "Can you two take Tony to his room? I would like to speak to Yuga personally."

"As you wish." They said, bowing before escorting Tony out, missing the brute looking kid glare at Yuga and pull his finger across his throat before the door shut behind them.

"They are monsters!" Yuga shouted, turning to Mr. Abe with tears falling down his face. He had refused to cry up till now, but Mr. Abe was perhaps the only decent human in that place, even if he did largely ignore all the problems in the orphanage. "They beat us whenever we do something wrong, and Tony… Tony won't stop bullying anyone, even if he is punished he will just do it again!"

Mr. Abe sighed. "We are doing all we can, Yuga, but as director of the orphanage there is only so much I can do."

"Can't you fire them?" Yuga pleaded.

"I wish I could, but we would have to hire someone else on first, and no one has applied." Mr. Abe said.

Yuga sniffled, looking at Mr. Abe with tear stains running down his face. "I… I wish I could make them all suffer…"

Mr. Abe sighed, reaching over and patting Yuga on the head. "Those aren't kind words, Yuga. When faced with fire, the best thing to do is to put it out with water. Fighting it with more fire will only cause more damage, and create more fire to be used against you."

"You say that all the time, Mr. Abe." Yuga muttered, glaring out the window, his eyes flashing momentarily.

"But it is true." Abe pointed out. "If you had something burning, you wouldn't want to put it out with more fire, as that will only destroy it more. You would use water to save the object, or as much of it as you can. The same can be said for relationships, even those as bad as Tony. You don't keep adding fuel to the fire, or putting more fire on the already existing fire. Have you ever stopped to think the reason you and Tony don't get along is-"

"Because he is a huge git who won't stop picking fights?" Yuga asked.

Abe actually laughed at this. "Yes, he does pick a lot of fights, but he is looking for attention. He wants his fire to be fed. If you put it out with water, aka ignored his bullying or was nicer to him, perhaps his fire towards you would go out. Maybe you two could be better friends?"

"You adults always say that!" Yuga screamed. "But you don't get it. No matter what I do, he picks on me. He won't stop. I've tried ignoring him, and I've tried being nicer to him. It doesn't work… it will never work." A few seconds of silence passed before Yuga let out a long sigh. "Alright, so what is my punishment? Are you going to take recess away from me too?"

"I do have to punish you." Mr. Abe said, standing up. "So yes… but I also wanted to see you for something else. You father left this in his will to you when he died, and we wanted to wait for you to grow before we gave it to you. Tell me something, Yuga, do you love Duel Monsters?"

This instantly seemed to cheer the boy up, as he looked at Abe with wide eyes and a toothy grin. "Duel Monsters? Of course, I love it! I try to watch it as much as possible when the Evil Twins let me use the television!"

"Then I am sure you will enjoy this." Abe stated, pulling out an old shoebox from under his desk and passing it to Yuga. The boy took the shoe box and looked at it with confusion, before opening the box and gasping. Inside were a bunch of Duel Monster's cards, all of them neatly arranged, with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon sitting right in the middle of the box.

"D-Duel Monsters Cards!" Yuga gasped, looking in awe.

"Your father wrote in his will about his dream, to assemble a perfect deck revolving around that monster." Abe stated, pointing to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. "Not exactly sure what kind of deck that would be, but he wanted you to assemble it if he could not."

Yuga suddenly seemed to get very determined as he shuffled through the cards, looking at them curiously. He looked up at Abe and nodded. "I won't let him down!"

XxXxXxX

The older Yuga opened his eyes, looking up through the darkness at the ceiling of the dorm room he shared with Shin. He could hear the boy's steady breathing, indicating he was asleep. Yuga sat up, rubbing his eyes, and sighing a little. "Abe is, and always will be, the only decent thing about that place…"

Yuga groaned a little, stretching. He got out of bed, and reached under it for the old shoe box, pulling it out carefully. He sat back down on the bed and opened it, and although the cards will in somewhat of disarray, Yuga still seemed to know where everything was, as he began shuffling around inside of the box, looking individually at the cards inside. "Dad, I am almost there. I found Dark Rebellion and Clear Wing, and obtained them. I only need the last dragon, and your dream deck will be complete. I hope you are watching me, Dad."

Yuga got to the bottom of the shoe box, smirking a little. He always liked to take a look through his dad's cards every once in a while, though some of his own had been added to the collection since then. The bottom of the shoe box was a bit dusty, however, as Yuga never bothered to actually dust it out. Perhaps now was a good of time as any…

However, when he traced the bottom of the shoe box with a cloth, it shifted a little.

Yuga looked puzzled. He never felt like the bottom of the shoe box was loose when he was holding it, and if it was loose, his cards would just fall out of the box. Yuga carefully examined the box for a while, and came to the realization that there was a false bottom. Yuga gently lifted this false bottom out of the box to find a perfectly clean bottom, with three cards lying face down. Yuga picked them up to reveal two of them were spell cards called 'Odd-Eyes Fusion', and the final one was a Fusion Monster, known as 'Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon'.

Yuga looked surprised. Never had he seen this monster before, or even knew it existed. He read the cards over, memorizing their effects before smiling brightly. "Dad… I never knew you had a card like this." He started placing cards back into the box, before he took out his deck, placing the fusion monster into his extra deck, and removing two cards to make room for Odd-Eyes Fusion. He was going to need it come tomorrow, when he met the Fusion Professor. Smiling to himself, and feeling like his parents were watching him, Yuga fell back asleep.

Morning came quickly however, and the usual Monday mood set in. Students were so tired they barely spoke unless they needed to, and Yuga was no exception. By the time 'Advanced Summoning Methods' came around, however, everyone was awake, and wondering what this 'Hirose' guy was going to be like. Yuga still found himself getting chills at the name, but he decided not to pass judgement until he saw the man.

"I heard Hirose is the best duelist here!" A preppy freshman said. "I bet he is dashing!"

"Hirose's classes are strict, or so I have heard." Roku stated. "Only the best get through his classes."

"I hope he takes it easier on us though." Shin muttered, looking nervous. "We are just freshman."

"I dunno how students without a deck capable of Fusion are going to get buy in this class." Ruka muttered, looking at her own deck. "I mean, are we going to have to build spare decks just to fuse? What do you think, Yuga?"

"I'll be fine with my current deck." Yuga said, smiling at her.

"But you don't have fusion monsters." Asami pointed out, however before Yuga could correct her, the door flung open.

Silence filled the classroom at once. The presence of the man standing in the doorway alone was enough to make everyone instantly shut up, return to their seats, and sit down. Not even Toma could achieve those results. He wore a purple, fancy looking suit with a white undershirt and a black tie. His ash blond hair was slick back, allowing his entire face to be seen. He had several hard lines, and a few wrinkles here and there. His green eyes had already done a pass of the classroom, looking over his long nose. He walked forward, his presence alone chilling. Yuga practically shivered as though he wanted into a snow storm when he walked by. He reached the front of the board, and began writing.

"Professor Hirose." He stated, his voice cold and demanding. "Five-time dueling champion of the Fusion Tournaments, Masters in Chemistry and Dueling, and Fusion Teacher for Union Duel School. I originally taught chemistry at various schools, but dueling is my true passion, thus I came here and have been teaching Fusion for over 30 years." He had finished drawing on the board, and Yuga noticed that he had sketched a picture of two monsters going into a swirling vortex, and an arrow pointing to a new monster on the right.

"Who knows the prime definition of Fusion? Not in the terms of only duel monsters, but the general term?" Hirose asked, looking around.

Surprisingly, Shin raised his hand. Normally it was Roku, Ruka or Naomi answering the questions. "Fusion is the process of joining two or more things together to form a single entity."

"Correct." Hirose replied. "In Duel Monsters, this is done by joining two or more monsters together in order to form a much more powerful beast. There are some who will tell you that the other two Extra Deck arts, Synchro and Xyz, are better because they are easier to fix into decks and you don't need a specific of monsters to summon them, and while that is true, you will find that some fusions are generic enough.

"Fusion also often produces much more powerful monsters then Synchro and Xyz." Hirose continued. "A fusion monster around the same level as a Synchro will be, on average, more powerful than the Synchro in question. Additionally, Xyz Monsters who have high attack often have drawbacks to using them without Xyz Materials. Fusion Monsters have no such drawback, and thus are often the most powerful monster in an individual's deck."

Ruka raised her hand. "Fusions, however, cannot exactly fit in all decks, correct?"

"That is the case." Hirose explained. "The drawbacks of Fusion are as follows: You need a magic card, monster effect, or trap effect to trigger the fusion. Secondly, not all decks can flow into fusion, such as Noble Knights and Aromage. Therefore, some of you must build spare decks to practice fusion. You might say that you don't need to, as you will never know fusion, but there will come a time where you face a user of fusion. You would be best equipped to deal with a fusion monster if you yourself knew how fusion worked.

"As I said earlier, to fuse you will need to trigger fusion via an effect. You cannot just declare fusion like you can declare overlaying with Xyz Monsters. Think of your fusion like a Synchro Tuner, except to fuse, your 'tuner' must be a spell, trap or monster effect that allows fusion. Now, at the end of our time together, two things will happen. First, you will be signing up for your next year here at Union. In this class, you will choose which Summoning Methods you wish to continue your studies in." Hirose erased his drawing and wrote: 'Advanced Xyz Summoning I & II', 'Advanced Synchro Summoning I & II' and 'Advanced Fusion Summoning I & II' on the board.

"You will be choosing which classes to continue in from these three." Hirose explained. "Each of these classes takes place in the morning, from 8 to 11, one after the other. If you so wish, you can take all three, and they will not interfere with your schedule. You should already be used to class during this time, as your Dueling History class is during this time slot. As Juniors, you will choose from these three options, and if your deck doesn't have an Extra Deck, you will be required to sign up for a different class, but most, if not all, students at Union by this point should have an Extra Deck, and know which of these three classes to sign up for."

 _So, if I want to continue the path I'm on, I need to sign up for all three classes._ Yuga thought to himself.

"You will also be signing up for Duel Runner classes during this time." Hirose explained. "By now, you all should be cleared for Action Duels by your Gym Teacher, and thus will be practicing those shortly. Juniors, due to being the age of 16 and above, can officially begin learning how to properly ride and control a Duel Runner, thus your second year will consist of training to use one properly."

Many of the students began whispering excitedly amongst themselves, but one look at Hirose silenced them, as he looked ready to continue talking.

"Enough about classes." Hirose stated, moving to another side of the board. "I believe you know the second thing that will happen. Like Jin and Toma, I will be giving out a card at the end of the semester. However, to earn this card, you must do three things for me. First, you must pass your final exam in this section of the class with no less than an A."

"You're joking!" Yuga groaned loudly.

Hirose glared over his shoulder at him from writing 'Final Exam Grade must be no less than an A' on the board. "I am not, Mr. Suzuki. I will take no less than an A on the exam. Only those who can demonstrate they have mastered Fusion Summoning perfectly could wield the monster I am to distribute. Now, the second thing you must do is get an A on a five page report about Fusion Summoning."

 _Oh, perfect._ Yuga thought, glaring at Hirose. _What else are you gonna require?_

"The third requirement is to impress me." Hirose explained. "Getting good grades is alone not enough. To earn my card, you must demonstrate not only good academics, but impressive dueling as well. It is very possible that none of you will earn the card, and there is no makeup exams or reports, so if you do not impress me in two months, then the card is lost to you.

"This is ridiculous!" Yuga shouted.

"Mr. Suzuki, detention. This Friday in my office at 8 pm." Hirose glared, hissing a little. "You earned two of the cards already, and if you want the third, then you best shape up now. Arguing with me will do you great harm in the coming days."

"He is insane!" Yuga growled, as they got out of class that afternoon. "He almost reminds me of the Evil Twins from the orphanage."

"Haven't you noticed that each teacher is stricter than the last one?" Shin muttered, sighing. "Sucks too, since I will be signing up for his Advanced Fusion classes next year."

"It's because of what he teaches." Ruka explained. "Fusion is way more demanding than Synchro, and Synchro is more demanding than Xyz. It would make sense for them to be stricter in their teaching, since each art is more demanding then the last."

"Still…" Yuga muttered, groaning a little. "That didn't mean he has to act like he did. Demanding we get perfect scores to earn his card?" No one wanted to say it, but they were all thinking the same thing. Regardless of outcome, if Yuga wanted to complete his perfect run of the Summoning Methods, he would have to shape up.

* * *

 **So you're all probably thinking "Wait, if they are Freshman now, why are they going to be Juniors next year?" The answer is because I am using the Japanese schooling system, where their high schools go: Freshman, Junior, Senior. Yuga and the others are technically 15, but they are turning 16, so they are around Grade 10 age level, which in Japan is Freshman in High School, while in America that would be Sophomore in High School.**

 **On that note, you are probably wondering why I haven't had a birthday chapter. The answer is I couldn't think of specific birthdays for them, and I decided eventually to base their age on what year they are in, so when I begin writing their second year, I will conciser them all 16. I know that might raise some complains, but YuGiOh never had a specific birthday celebrated before to my knowledge, so I am keeping to that formula.  
**

 **As a final note, the orphanage dream/flashback will not be the only one in the series. I know many of you want to know more about Yuga's time there and how horrible it is, and I think I did an OK job showing you a tidbit of what happened there, while at the same time showing where Yuga got his cards from.  
**


	23. Almighty Red Dragon Archfiend

**Thanks to D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, Draen and pokemonking0924 for your reviews on Chapter 22.**

 **Welcome to Chapter 23, one that I am super excited for because I believe this is the best written duel I've ever done. I'll let you guys be the judges of that though and not waste any more of your time. Enjoy the first chapter of 2017!**

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"I believe that will do." Professor Hirose stated, looking over a book he happened to be reading at Yuga, who was sitting on the other side of his desk. "Allow me to check your work."

Yuga sighed, handing over a sheet of paper full of writing. Yuga's detention had him beginning his five page essay with everything he had learned so far in Hirose's lessons, but since they were just the basics, there wasn't much detail put into the notes. Hirose, for the most part, had Yuga read the assigned chapters in his "Summoning Methods for Beginners" book and retake notes, before beginning his essay. Hirose began writing some notes on the paper before handing it back to Yuga.

"There." Hirose said, handing the paper back. "I believe this will be a good beginning to your essay. I checked a few errors in grammar and spelling, but for the most part I believe you have a full understanding of what this paper is about."

Yuga looked over the notes before looking back at Hirose. "Why wasn't my detention something… meaner?"

"I may be strict, but that doesn't make me a criminal." Hirose explained, leaning back in his chair. "I have found that students respond better to school and punishments when pushed to do work while in detention, forcing them to compete, or get a good start on required academics. I had you begin your essay today not just to force you to do work for 2 hours, but you steer you in the right direction for your essay in general."

"Wouldn't that give me an unfair start?" Yuga asked.

Hirose shook his head. "Believe it or not, your roommate Shin is already done with a rough draft of his essay." And at Yuga's shocked face, Hirose shrugged. "He really gets Fusion Summoning. Must have learned it from Jirou…" Silence filled the room for a moment before Hirose cleared his throat. "I taught that boy, regrettably."

"How was he?" Yuga wondered, knowing the aggressiveness of Jirou.

"I admit he got in trouble a lot, but he was a genius duelist." Hirose sighed, looking out the window. "Everything I said he seemed to pick up and remember. Within his first week of my classes, his Fusion Summoning was incredible. Not only did he ace every test, paper and quiz, but he was the only student to ever defeat me in a duel while attending classes here."

"H-He did?" Yuga asked, stunned.

Hirose nodded. "It was shortly after his junior year finals ended. I was grading papers, he was helping as part of a detention, and we decided to have a duel. I had no intention of holding back, and I admit I held my own for the good part of the duel. Got him down to 100 life points before he beat me. I was both proud and frustrated, as most duelists are when they lose. Losing to a student was a new one for me, granted I have lost to former students who moved on from schooling, got better decks or more experience in the real world, but those I could understand. I couldn't believe that I could lose to one of my current students, let alone one that was only a Junior and hadn't taken my final classes."

Yuga thought for a moment before looking at Hirose. "And what about now?"

"I am… disappointed in what he has become." Hirose stated. "Guess I was a little too lenient in him during detentions, and maybe him defeating me got to his head. Either way, it is 10 pm and you should get back to your dorm room now."

Yuga stood up, happy to leave. He felt like he understood Hirose better, but the man still upset him in a few ways. Yuga felt as if Hirose purposefully dragged the conversation to Jirou, as if thinking Yuga would turn out just like Jirou. He didn't have time to think about this long though, as his duel pad suddenly beeped. When he pulled it out, he saw Ruka was calling him.

"Hello?" Yuga answered.

"Hey, you need to come to the forest where we dueled Tamiko." Ruka said, panting a little. It was clear to Yuga she seemed to be running.

"W-why?" Yuga asked.

"Tamiko's mom called Vince." Ruka said. "Challenged us to a duel for the seal."

"On my way." Yuga seriously replied. He put away his duel pad at once and sprinted out of the hallway.

XxXxXxX

Vince was leading the pack as the group raced into the forest, with Tamiko close behind him, the others trailing a bit behind, with Shin practically wheezing as he struggled to keep up. The red haired duelist started slowing down once he saw a bright, orange light of a camp fire, and once they hit the clearing, they could perfectly see the mother of Tamiko Honda, with her bright red dress and flaming red hair. She was looking fiercely at Vince, an orange duel pad strapped onto her left arm, a blue blade ignited from it, resembling the colors of fire.

"Shall we start then, Vince?" Hotaru Honda spoke.

"Before you two duel, mom, think about this." Tamiko pleaded. "It took Yuga defeating me for me to realize this, but would the Masked Man really deliver on his promises? Once he gets the Wicked Gods, are you sure he will give us the life we want? We are just pawns to him, mom…"

"Hold your tongue, Tamiko." Hotaru snapped, before her gaze softened. "We will talk once I take the four remaining seals."

"But…" Tamiko started to say.

"More like you two will talk once I defeat you." Vince declared, activating his duel pad.

"Don't worry, Tamiko." Roku said calmly. "We will stop your mom, then keep her safe."

Tamiko nodded, looking back at Vince. "You better not overdo it against my mom!"

"Yeah, yeah, hold back a bit or whatever." Vince sighed.

"To make things interesting, let's make this an Action Duel." Hotaru smirked, the forest clearing suddenly full of platforms for them to stand on. "You freshman are cleared for it, so I don't see the harm in making this duel a little more interesting."

"Very well." Vince agreed, nodding.

"Action… Duel!"

Vince: 4000 vs Hotaru: 4000

"I'll begin" Hotaru declared, backflipping onto the platform behind her.

"Whoa, did that lady just backflip onto the platform in heels?" Yuga panted, having just arrived.

"That lady is my mom, and yes she did…" Tamiko muttered.

"That's badass." Ruka admitted. "Wish I could do that, but heels make my feet hurt as it is."

"I summon my Flamvell Firedog in attack mode (1900/200)!" Hotaru declared, placing the card on her duel pad. A hound that looked like he was made of molten rock fur and a lava body appeared on the field, howling. "I end my turn."

"Then it's the Vince's turn!" Vince declared, drawing a card. "I summon my Black Dragon's Chick in attack mode (800/500)." A red egg appeared on the field, with a baby black dragon suddenly emerging from a cracked top. "But he won't be around for long. See, I can tribute him to special summon a Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand, and that's exactly what I am going to do!" The chick suddenly began growing up, increasingly resembling the original Red-Eyes until it completely replaced the chick. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)! Attack her dog!"

But Hotaru was a step ahead. She had already leapt from her platform onto another, grabbing an action card. "Activate Equip Action Card, Chains of Grim. Your monster now loses 800 attack points until this card, or your monster, is destroyed (Red-Eyes Black Dragon: 2400/2000 - 1600/200)!"

Vince leapt to a platform and grabbed an action card, however one look told him it wouldn't help him just yet. "Because my monster's attack changed, I can now cancel my attack. I do that and end my turn."

"My turn then." Hotaru stated, drawing. "I summon my Flamvell Magician tuner monster in attack mode (1400/200)!"

"Tuner Monster?" Vince asked, stunned.

"She's a Synchro Summoner." Asami decaled.

"I tune my Flamvell Firedog with my Flamvell Magician! In an inferno of power and might, a blazing beast is forged. Synchro Summon! Level 8, Red Dragon Archfiend (3000/2000)!" Hotaru chanted. From the green light, a red and black looking demonic dragon with ash grey horns emerged, roaring violently. "Attack his Red-Eyes Black Dragon now!"

"Action Magic: Miracle!" Vince shouted, putting the action card into his duel pad. "If a monster on the field battles, it cannot be destroyed by battle and any battle damaged is halved!" Despite being roasted by fire, Red-Eyes Black Dragon survived, bit Vince winced a bit as he received damage (Vince: 4000 - 3400).

"Not bad, kid." Hotaru stated. "I place one card facedown and I'll grab this for later." Hotaru suddenly flipped over and grabbed an action card. "I end my turn there."

"What? Where did that Action Card come from?" Vince growled. "No matter, I draw! I activate the field spell card, Catalyst Field! This card allows me to summon one Level 5 or higher Gemini Monster without tributing, and additionally allows me to summon two monsters each turn, as long as one of them is a Gemini Monster. I summon my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon without tribute (2400/2000)! Now I overlay my Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" The two monsters turned into balls of purple light, entering the vortex that appeared on the field. "Dark dragon encased in molten steel, burn my enemies to cinders with your mighty power! Xyz Summon! Rank 7, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon (2800/2400)!"

"Now Hotaru will get 500 points of damage whenever she uses an effect." Naomi said.

"But there's an issue, Vince's monster is still weaker than her dragon." Roku stated.

"Not for long!" Vince shouted. "I activate the spell card Allure of Darkness. My banishing one Dark type monster from my hand, I can draw two cards. I banish my Keeper of the Shrine, and draw two cards." Vince seemed nervious as he drew the cards, but once he did he smirked. "Yes! I activate my Black Metal Dragon! Even though he's a monster, I can equip him to any Red-Eyes monster I control and it automatically gains 600 attack points (Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon: 2800/2400 - 3400/2400)!"

"Way to play, Vince!" Shin encouraged.

"Now that Red Dragon Archfiend is weaker than Vince's Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon." Naomi observed.

"Attack her Red Dragon now!" Vince commanded.

Hotaru, however, pulled from her hand the Action Card she grabbed earlier. "Action Card: Evade! My monster dodges your monster's attack."

"But you still take damage because you activated the effect of a card." Vince said. "Don't forget, my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon damages you for 500 points for each card effect you activate."

"I am aware." Hotaru hissed (Hotaru: 4000 - 3500).

"I'll end my turn by placing one card facedown." Vince stated.

"I'll draw now." Hotaru said. "I activate my spell card: Double Summon! I take your 500 points of damage, but for this turn, I can summon two monsters instead of one, so I summon forth my Flamvell Baby tuner, and my Flamvell Archer tuner!" A small, baby shaped flame appeared on the field, and at the same time a buff archer with a hair of flame appeared, carrying a red bow (Hotaru: 3500 - 3000).

"Two tuners?" Ruka asked. "What for?"

"I double tune my Flambell Baby and Flamvell Archer into my Red Dragon Archfiend!" Hotaru declared, her two tuners becoming four rings of light, her Red Dragon Archfiend flying through them. "Behold as the start high above the sky, and the fire deep down below the earth collide in a cosmic explosion! Synchro Summon! Level 12, Red Nova Dragon (3500/3000)!"

"N-No way!" Ruka gasped. "A Synchro Summon with two tuners… I didn't think that was possible!"

"Red Nova Dragon's effect activates." Hotaru declared (Hotaru: 3000 - 2500). "For every tuner in my graveyard, he gains 500 attack points, and since I have three, he gains 1500 attack points for a total of 5000 (Red Nova Dragon: 3500/3000 - 5000/3000)!"

"F-Five thousand!?" Vince declared in shock.

"Red Nova Dragon, attack Red-Eyes now!" Hotaru declared.

"Trap activate, Negate Attack!" Vince shouted. "As impressive as your monster is, it's attack is now useless thanks to my trap card!"

"Counter Trap, Trap Stun!" Hotaru declared (Hotaru: 2500 - 2000). "All other trap cards on the field are now negated till the end of the turn!"

Vince gasped, before turning to run to find an Action Card, but it was too late. Red Nova Dragon's attack slammed into Vince's dragon, creating an explosion that sent Vince flying, hitting the ground (Vince: 3400 - 1800). Vince coughed a little, standing up. "Black Metal Dragon's effect activates. When he's sent to the graveyard from the field, I can add one "Red-Eyes" card from my deck to my hand. I choose Red-Eyes Fusion."

"Add whatever cards you want." Hotaru said. "You can't stop my Red Nova Dragon. I end my turn."

"Lady, if you knew what was in my deck, you wouldn't be so confident… now, I draw!" Vince looked at the card he drew, and a glem entered his eye, as if he just drew the card he needed. "I activate Red-Eyes Fusion! I fuse from my hand, my Level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon and my Level 6 Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact! The sky is streaked with fire, as the destructive comet descends from the heavens to vaporize all in its way! Fusion Summon! Level 8, Meteor Black Comet Dragon (3500/2000)!"

"Whoa, is it just me or is that an upgraded Meteor Black Dragon?" Yuga asked.

"It's upgraded alright, but what is Vince planning?" Ruka asked.

Hotaru smirked. "Impressive for sure, but you must be bad at math, kid. Your dragon has 3500 attack points, and my dragon has 5000. You can't win."

Vince, however, smirked right back. "You need tuners in your graveyard to power your monster's attack points, so what if I remove them?"

"Wait, what?" Hotaru asked, eyes widened.

"I activate the final card in my hand, Soul Release!" Vince shouted. "With this, I banish 5 cards from any graveyard I wish. I choose your three tuners: Flamevell Magician, Flamvell Archer, and Flamvell Baby. I also banish Flamvell Firedog and Red Dragon Archfiend from your grave!"

"Smart move, not only will Red Nova Dragon's attack power drop, but with the no Flamvell monster's in her graveyard, she can't summon them back." Roku noted.

"Your Red Nova Dragon now returns to its original attack power." Vince declared (Red Nova Dragon: 5000/3000 - 3500/3000). "Now, Meteor Black Comet Dragon, attack her Red Nova Dragon!"

"They'll destroy each other!" Hotaru shouted, as the two monsters vaporized one another. "You fool! Next turn I can just attack you directly and…"

"Action Magic: Summoning Chaotic Force!" Vince suddenly shouted. Hotaru looked up to see he jumped up a few platforms and had grabbed an action card. "If my monster is destroyed by battle, I can special summon one normal monster from my graveyard, regardless of any other card effect in play. I special summon, the one and only, Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)! Now, attack and end this duel!"

Red-Eyes breathed in, but before he could attack, Hotaru suddenly spotted an action card and rushed towards it, grabbing it just as Red-Eyes breathed out a stream of fire. "Action Magic: Regeneration! I gain 1000 life points!" As she became surrounded by a white glow, the fire slammed into her, however once the smoke cleared she was still standing (Hotaru: 2000 - 3000 - 600).

"Tch." Vince spat. "I end my turn there.

Hotaru panted a little, wiping sweat from her forehead. "That was too close… but now it's my turn. Draw!" Hotaru looked over at her card, then looked over her shoulder, eyes gleaming a little. She then did another flip up onto a platform above her and grabbed an action card. "Action Magic: Dimension Void! With this, two of my banished monster's returns from the banished zone to my field, so I special summon my Flamvell Magician (1400/200) and my Flamvell Baby (800/200)!"

 _She saw that card out of the corner of her eye after she drew._ Vince thought.

"I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards. Next, I activate One for One! By sending my Flamvell Poun to my graveyard from my hand, I can summon another Flamvell Baby from my deck. Finally, I summon my second Flamvell Firedog. Now I tune my Flamvell Firedog to my Flamvell Magician! From the ancient chasms of a lost world, I awaken a great and terrible power! Synchro Summon! Level 8. Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend (3000/2000)!"

"Another Red Dragon Archfiend?" Ruka gasped.

"Since your Red-Eyes Black Dragon is a normal monster, I can't activate my Scarlight's effect, but no matter. Now I double tune my two Flamvell Babies to my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! Touch the soul of the Crimson Dragon, and raise the cry of creation! Synchro Summon! Level 10, Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend (3500/3000)!"

"What do you plan on doing with that?" Vince asked.

"Simple. With my Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend's effect, I can destroy all other cards on the field, but by using this effect, only my Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend can attack. Now, vaporize his field spell and his Red-Eyes!" Vince braced himself as his field spell and his monster both vanished. "Now, end this duel with a direct attack!"

Vince growled, before noticing a card on a platform above him. He jumped to it, grabbing it, and activating it instantly, praying it was what he needed. "Action Magic: Soul Saver. If I am about to take a direct attack of 3000 points or more, I can banish a monster of mine that was destroyed this turn, and add its defense points to my life points (Vince: 1800 - 3800)!" Just at that moment, the crimson fire of Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend surrounded Vince, causing him to shout in pain as he took damage (Vince: 3800 - 300). Vince landed on the ground, panting rapidly for air.

"You are only delaying the end, Vince." Hotaru said, watching the teen struggle to get back on his feet. "I am going to win. Give up."

"Never." Vince hissed. "Call me stubborn, but I want to see this through to the end. Besides, I won't live it down if I lose now… I draw!" Vince looked over at the card, smirking. "First, I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards. Next, I activate Red-Eyes Fusion! Now I can fusion summon a monster!"

"You have no monsters in your hand or field to use for fusion!" Hotaru stated.

"True, but Red-Eyes Fusion also lets me fuse from the deck." Vince declared. "And since I got three Red-Eyes Black Dragon monsters in my deck in total, I can use my third and final one that is still lurking in my deck, with my Summoned Skull in my deck, to fuse! The two souls of demon and dragon intertwine into an even greater power. Now, vaporize my enemies with the devil's fire! Fusion Summon! Level 9, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500)!"

Hotaru shook her head. "Your dragon is too weak. If you attack me, you will lose the duel immediately."

"My final card…" Vince declared. "Equip spell card, Dragon Shield! By equipping this card to my dragon, he cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and neither player takes any battle damage from attacks involving this monster."

"So what's the point other than to act as a wall?" Hotaru asked.

"I'll show you! Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, attack her Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend!" Vince declared. Archfiend Black Skull Dragon shot forth a bunch of fireballs, but Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend deflected them all before shooting a burst of crimson fire at Vince's dragon, which yelled in pain but wasn't destroyed.

"At this moment, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon's effect activates." Vince declared. "Since he was in battle and survived, I can target one Red-Eyes normal monster and shuffle it back into my deck. Once I do, you receive damage equal to that monster's attack points. Since I choose Red-Eyes Black Dragon to return to my deck, you receive 2400 damage! Game over!"

Hotaru screamed as fire surrounded her, and she felt onto her knees, punching the ground with her fist (Hotaru: 600 - 0).

Vince Wins!

"I-I can't believe it… N-now the Masked Man will… will…" Hotaru sobbed, tears falling from her eyes as the platforms for the Action Duel disappeared.

"The Masked Man won't do anything." A voice said. Everyone turned to see Professor Takada standing there. He smiled, walking forward and kneeling down, placing his hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "Hello, I am Professor Takada, and I've been the one taking care of your daughter."

"Y-you have?" Hotaru asked, sniffling.

"Yes." Takada nodded. "And I can assure you that until the Masked Man is defeated, we will take care of you too."

XxXxXxX

The Masked Man angrily punched the door sealed by the ancient ritual. He then began pacing the room angrily muttering to himself. How could so many of his duelists have fallen so easily? How could he have been brought down to his last line of defense? And how could he have been betrayed not once, but twice? Hotaru was now protected by Takada, and she would certainly reveal all that she knows, just like Tamiko did before her.

"Seems as if I am all you have?" A voice said.

The Masked Man turned to see his final remaining Shadow Duelist, the teenage boy with glasses, standing there, a wide smirk on his face as he looked up at his boss. The Masked Man turned to him, growling a little in frustration. "Don't you dare lose to any of them… Masuhiro."

Masuhiro stepped out of the shadows, adjusting his glasses and giggling in glee. "Don't you worry about a thing, dude. I already have the best decks designed to beat each of them. First, I will take down Shin, the weakest link in the chain!" His laugh echoed through the caves as he walked away, getting ready for his fun.

* * *

 **So quick note, I an not sure Archfiend Black Skull Dragon's effect would activate if Dragon Shield is equipped to it, as the effect only activates if Battle Damage is calculated. I am sure that if it survived an attack, it would regardless of if the opponent was stronger, but since Dragon Shield makes it so no battle damage was taken, I was questioning the effect. I would think the calculated damage would be 0, so I just counted it as activating. If it doesn't in real life, we will just say in this universe, if the card says "Neither player takes damage from his monster/monsters equipped with this card", then the damage auto calculates to zero.**

 **On another note, should I do more Action Duels? I barely put them in the story due to my discomfort with creating cards, but I seem to be getting better at it so I am thinking of adding more.**

 **Now as a quick note, YuGiOh Anime 6 has been announced. This story may or may not include elements of that anime when the time comes, but it depends on how the anime is. If it's basically Zexal in terms of quality, I will probably ignore it (seriously, Zexal was my least favorite).  
**

 **Edit: Changed "Mirror Force" to "Negate Attack". Forgot Red Nova Dragon couldn't be destroyed by card effects. Whoops.**


	24. Hellfire's Rage

**Thank you to** **Draen, Nirvash Neo, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, pokemonking0924 and a guest reviewer for your reviews on Chapter 23!**

 **I know I should put more action duels in this story, but sadly this chapter's duel was pre-written. Sadly until Yuga's next duel, all the duels are normal. Sorry if you were expecting an action duel, but you will get one soon enough. I feel like I should say this though. College is getting rough again, so please be patient as I work out time to work on this story. I actually spent all day today working on homework. The only reason this is going up today is cause the only thing I had left to do on the chapter was proof read.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

April quickly dawned on Union Campus, as students began struggling to keep up with all the work given to them by their teachers. Final exams were quickly approaching, and most seniors would spend their time with their books glued to their faces, memorizing every detail they could. Juniors were also crammed into their books, with their Duel Runner license tests coming up, and most of the students wanted to pass so they could drive Duel Runners outside of campus. The freshman got it the easiest, but Yuga found that he and his classmates were also cramming a lot, especially for Dueling History, which Yuga argued was the hardest, most boring class anyone could be subjected to.

His classes with Hirose were also putting a damper on his mood. Despite bounding a little with Hirose in their first detention together, Yuga found he just didn't like the guy. Yuga, in the span of a month, found himself in three more detentions with Hirose, due to inability to hold his tongue against the Professors strict, and somewhat harsh, methods of teaching.

"Hey, look on the bright side." Ruka suggested, looking over at Yuga as they ate dinner in the mess hall that night. "At least he just has you studying and working on homework during those detentions. If anything, he's doing you a favor."

"It still sucks." Yuga mumbled, his chin on the table as he stared down at his plate filled with crumbs of the food he had eaten. "I've never known anyone as harsh as him… okay that's a lie, the Evil Twins at the orphanage are bad, but he gives them a good run for their money."

Ruka sighed, but before she could speak again, a loud thud brought her attention to Vince, who had just dropped his tray on the table before sitting down and eating. "What's with you?"

"Hirose." Vince growled, ripping off a huge chunk of his burger. "Bastard thinks my Fusion methods aren't impressing enough for his precious card."

"First of all, Vince, we aren't even earning that card until after finals." Naomi pointed out, with Vince glaring over his burger. "And secondly, I don't think it's your fusing that needs to impress him."

Vince sighed after swallowing the mouthful of food. "Yeah? Well I don't see any of you being able to summon from the deck. Do you?"

"Forget it." Naomi sighed.

"Speaking of you." Ruka said, looking over at Vince. "Where's your old friend Masuhiro? He's been skipping classes ever since we came back from vacation, and now he's just gone entirely since you defeated Hotaru."

"That is what I want to talk to you guys about." A stern voice said. They all turned to see Hotaru standing there, with Tamiko at her side.

"Ms. Honda!" Asami gasped. "B-but I thought you two n-needed to stay hidden!"

"Well, I don't see anyone else here, do you?" Tamiko asked, and sure enough, when they looked around, they saw no one in the room other than them and some of the cafeteria workers.

"O-oh." Asami blushed a little. "My bad."

"What would you two know about Masuhiro?" Vince asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Me? Not a thing." Tamiko shook her head. "But my mom knows the name."

"He's the next Shadow Duelist." Hotaru said, and shocked looks struck the faces of the seven students, as they looked at her in stunned disbelief.

"N-no way." Shin gasped.

"I knew he was skipping classes, but not for the Shadow Duelists." Roku muttered.

Vince, getting over his shock, just growled a little. "So he's playing tough with the big boys now, huh?"

"Anything else you can tell us?" Ruka asked.

Hotaru, however, shook her head. "The identity of him was all I knew. I had never seen him duel at all…"

Hearing that, they all turned to Vince, who just looked back at them before sighing. "What do you want, his life story?"

"Just what kind of deck he uses, so when the time comes to duel him, we can." Ruka said. "Please, Vince."

Hearing Ruka say please made Vince blush. "W-well, all right… but I dunno how much help I'm gonna be."

"Why" Yuga asked.

"Because Masuhiro isn't an ordinary duelist." Vince stated. "Normally, Masuhiro uses an insect deck, but when we face him, I don't see him playing by the rules. His deck could be anything. He is a counterfeit king. Ask him to make any card, and he can do it. Make it so well that you wouldn't be able to even tell that card was a fake."

"Duel disks come with anti-fraud technology though." Naomi pointed out. "If he tried to activate a fake card against us, wouldn't his duel disk reject it?"

Vince scoffed at that. "You would think that, but he's been known to make fakes so well the duel disk doesn't even recognize it's fake. Worse, in the event the duel disk recognizes a fake, he has a way around that as well. Chances are when we duel him, he's going to be using his own system to do it. Normally, any duel disk links up to Kaiba Corp Satellites or a satellite of any affiliated Duel Monsters company to authorize, monitor, and make sure the duel is legit. However, Masuhiro has replicated the program they use and modified it to make it so that his duel disk, when activated, can choose to be connected to his own program, so that any card, fake or not, can be used."

"That's cheap!" Roku hissed.

"There's nothing we can do." Hotaru stated. "The Masked Man doesn't care what he does, as long as he gets your seals. In his eyes, Masuhiro's duels, despite being monitored by his own program, are real, and when you guys became seal defenders, you agreed to play by his terms. If you're going to defeat Masuhiro, you need to duel him, unfairly or not."

"We can still win." Yuga smirked. "Cheaters usually only cheat because they aren't skilled, right? So if our skill can outdo his cheating, then we got him in the bag."

"That's the issue." Vince glared. "Masuhiro IS good. Even rivaled me in skill. He just makes his fake cards to rip off other people, only reason he bothers using fake decks in the first place is cause he finds it fun to get into the mind of his opponent, use monsters so rare that you'd be lucky to even see one in a store."

"And worst part is, he's chosen his first opponent." Shin muttered.

"Wait, what?" Naomi asked, looking over at Shin. He had his Duel Pad out, and it was on the email screen. A image of Masuhiro, with his black bowl cut hair and thick glasses, was displayed flipping off the camera, with text underneath it.

 _Shin, I am challenging you to a Shadow Duel! You cannot refuse my challenge or your seal is automatically forfeit to me! Come to the Card Shop and enter through the back door, where the dumpster leading to the sealed door is located. Once inside, take a left and down the stairs into my lair, the basement dueling arena. We will have our duel there at 9 pm sharp! Don't you dare be late!_

"The basement of the Card Shop?" Yuga asked.

"The shop closes at 8 pm." Ruka muttered. "He must have a back-door key, or broke the lock."

"Well, we can't refuse." Yuga sighed. "Might as well get ready to duel, buddy."

"Great." Shin moaned, rubbing his head. "How do I fight against an opponent who could have any deck out there? What if he uses-"

"Come on, Shin, you can't over think this." Yuga stated. "Just remember this. Your monsters are the real deal, but his are just copies of other monsters. The real monsters can never lose to fake carbon copies of monsters, so you can do it!"

"O-ok… thanks, Yuga!"

XxXxXxX

Shin lead the way as they all began crossing the street, making their way to the card shop. The time was 8:55 pm and sure enough, the shop was completely back inside, all closed up after a long day of selling cards. A gate was pulled down, so even if someone broke the window of the store, entry would be impossible from the front. Shin and Tamiko lead the way to the alley to the side of the store, and as they turned the corner they could see the fake rusted dumpster with the Out of Order sign on it they used to get to the sealed door. Just in front of that, the backdoor to the shop was there. Shin reached out the grabbed the handle, but it wouldn't budge.

"Locked?" Shin moaned.

"Well, now what?" Yuga asked. "Sure, the shop keeper would lock all the doors, but Masuhiro is somehow in side, so…"

Suddenly, the door clicked, and slowly creaked open. Everyone started, wide eyed, as they shined their lights into the shop, only just seeing a figure head into the door on the left hand side at the back of the store, climbing down the stairs, chuckling to himself.

"Masuhiro!" Shin yelled.

"Come on, let's go." Ruka suggested, so the eight of them followed after him, listening to him chuckle the entire time. The stairs took a right turn, and when they turned to go down the second flight, they couldn't help but stare in awe. A large screen was on the right hand wall, and the floor looked like high quality concrete, with a white, rectangle shaped box with smaller squares that seemed to indicate spell, trap, monster and pendulum zones respectfully.

"Good, seems as though you were brave enough to accept my challenge." Masuhiro said, already standing at the other end of the field. "But even if you did come, you will lose your seal tonight, Shin!"

"I don't intend to lose to you!" Shin declared, glaring at him as he took his place on the field. "If you aren't using your real cards, then you're going to lose, Masuhiro! Your fake cards cannot beat real ones!"

Masuhiro laughed, and walked over to a cart that Yuga didn't notice earlier. He had boxes on top of it, and looking inside the boxes, Yuga noticed a lot of deck boxes with a bunch of labels printed on them. If Yuga had to make a guess, he would bet all those boxes were filled with the fake decks Masuhiro created himself. "I think against you I will use… EXD01!" Masuhiro then pulled out a deck box labeled with the game letters and numbers he had stated, pulling out cards and putting them into the deck slot of his duel disk. Yuga had to raise an eyebrow though, cause this deck seemed to lack an Extra Deck.

"You use your fakes." Shin stated. "I will be using my real deck… but, um, no Action Dueling please… I suck at those."

"Don't worry, this isn't an action duel." Masuhrio said. "This deck doesn't do well in those anyway… now…"

The screen lit up as a bunch of letters appeared on the screen. As Masuhiro's program launched, a graphical window popped up with the current field, displaying much like I did on the duel pad itself, but with both player's information on it.

"Duel!"

Shin: 4000 vs Masuhiro: 4000

"I'll begin." Masuhiro stated. "I summon a monster known as Royal Magical Library in attack mode (0/2000)!" What looked like a series of bookcases appeared on Masuhiro's side of the field, with various standing platforms, each one glowing with green energy.

"Royal Magical Library?" Asami asked.

"It's a monster that gains a spell counter every time a spell card is used." Tamiko answered. "When you get three, you can remove all of them to draw 1 card. I used to have one in my deck as well, but I dunno why he would summon it, let alone in attack mode."

"Your library is too weak to attack me." Shin said, smirking. "Looks like you already made a mistake. Maybe if you came to classes, you would've played smarter."

"Whoa." Naomi muttered. "That's not like Shin at all to smack talk an opponent."

 _Careful, Shin._ Yuga thought.

"If you knew the real reason my Royal Magical Library was summoned, you wouldn't be so cocky." Masuhiro retorted, giggling like a school girl on a Friday. "Now I activate the spell card, Allure of Darkness! I draw 2 cards, then I must banish one Dark monster from my hand. If I don't have any in my hand, I must send my entire hand to the graveyard, but thankfully I do. I banish my Dark attribute Summoner Monk. Additionally, my Royal Magical Library has one spell counter now."

"Uh, so did you get what you want?" Shin asked, looking a little nervous at the look on Masuhiro's face.

"Well, you could say that." Masuhiro grinned. "Next, I play the spell card Upstart Goblin. I draw one card, and my opponent gains 1000 life points (Shin: 4000 - 5000)."

 _I don't understand._ Shin thought, looking confused. _Why would Masuhiro give me 1000 life points? He can't be that dumb. He must be looking for something._

"Now my Royal Magical Library has 2 counters, but why stop there? I next play the spell card Dark World Dealings. We both draw one card, then discard one card." Masuhiro said, as both duelists did just that. "Now that my Royal Magical Library has three spell counters, I remove them to draw one card." He looked at the card, grinning widely. "It's almost time Shin, but I think I will let you actually have a turn, but before that I play the magic card One Day of Peace. Until the end of your next turn, we both cannot attack. Now, it is your turn."

"Whatever you are up to, I will put a stop to it." Shin declared. "I play the spell card, Polymerization! Now I can fuse the 2 Cyber Dragon's in my hand together into one monster! Two machine dragons, merge together into a new ferocious machine! Fusion Summon! Level 8, Cyber Twin Dragon (2800/2100)!"

"Nice!" Naomi shouted. "Cyber Twin Dragon can attack twice a turn!"

"That doesn't matter, because One Day of Peace is still in play." Roku reminded her.

"Who cares?" Yuga replied. "Shin is gonna win this for sure, trust me."

"I place one card facedown." Shin stated. "Uh, your move."

"Don't mind if I do." Masuhiro said, drawing a card. "I'll start my reminding you that my Royal Magical Library has one spell counter already on it, and I am about to add another one, but first I will switch him into defense mode. Now, I play the spell card Trade-In. My discarding my Level 8 Archfiend Empress, I can draw two cards." Masuhiro's eyes gleamed as he looked at his hand, making everyone wonder what was in it. "I play the spell card Wonder Wand. By equipping this to my Royal Magical Library, he gains 500 attack points (Royal Magical Library: 0/2000 - 500/2000). Additionally, I can send both this card and the monster he is equipped to directly to the grave to draw two cards, but I won't do that just yet. Next, I activate my Royal Magical Library's effect, and draw an additional card. Finally, I place two cards facedown. Your turn, but your destruction is at hand!"

"Stop stalling and actually fight!" Shin declared, drawing. He then smirked. "Better yet, I will force you! I play De-Fusion, which separates my Cyber Twin Dragon back into his fusion materials, which are summoned to my field! Come out, Cyber Dragons (2100/1600 x2)! Now I play the spell card, Polymerization, to fuse the two Cyber Dragons on my field with the one in my hand. Three machine dragons, combine to form an unstoppable mighty force! Fusion Summon! Level 10, Cyber End Dragon (4000/2800)! Whenever he attacks a monster in defense mode, the difference between my dragon's attack points, and your monster's defense points, come out of your life points! Show him Cyber End Dragon, attack Royal Magical Library!"

"Trap activate!" Masuhiro shouted. "Waboku! I take no battle damage from your monsters this turn, and additionally my monster cannot be destroyed by battle!"

Shin glared a little. "I end my turn… now quit stalling and get on with it!"

Masuhiro laughed, drawing a card. "Tell him that!"

Shin looked at him confused. "Him?"

"The beast sleeping in my deck." Masuhiro said, smiling wickedly. "But you are right, let's get him out, shall we? I activate Wonder Wand's effect! By sending it and my Royal Magical Library to the graveyard, I can draw two cards." Masuhiro drew his cards, his smile becoming more and more wicked in appearance, almost insane like. "You told me to get on with it… now it is time! I play the following cards: Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, and Exodia the Forbidden One!"

"N-No way!" Shin gasped.

"He was stalling and drawing cards that whole time to summon the unstoppable Exodia?" Roku asked, flabbergasted.

"Great God of Chaos, I unite your five pieces together! Grant me victory in this duel! Crush my enemies beneath your infinite might!" Masuhiro chanted. "Come forth, Exodia (Infinity/Infinity)!"

Shin fell to his knees, staring up as Exodia emerged from the pentagram before them. Masuhiro was laughing with delight, Exodia standing behind him, charging energy between his hands. "Exodia, end this duel with your almighty power! Destroy Cyber End Dragon and all of Shin's life points!" Exodia obeyed, thrusting forth his right hand, vaporizing Shin's Cyber End Dragon instantly (Shin: 5000 - 0).

Masuhiro Wins!

Masuhro's laugh echoed in the basement of the duel shop, as Shin stared down at the ground, flabbergasted.

"Shin!" Yuga shouted, as he and everyone else ran forward. The seal on Shin's hand vanished before their very eyes, and reappeared on Masuhiro's right hand. Suddenly, smoke entered the room, and everyone covered their mouths to avoid breathing in the fumes. Yuga heard footsteps on the stairs though, and a thud indicating the door to the upstairs had opened. Masuhiro's voice echoed in the room from the top of the stairs. "We will duel again tomorrow, same time same place. And please close the door on your way out." He laughed again, as another thud sounded to indicate the door was closing, as the smoke dissipated, leaving themselves able to see that only they were in the room.

* * *

 **For those screaming "How did they not recognize this was an Exodia Deck?! I knew from the first card!", you forget this is not the real world. Exodia is rarely, if ever, played in conventional decks. I hardly suspect Exodia in duels I am in, honestly.**

 **Three seals remaining. Additionally, I would like to point out that while I know I should be doing more two part duels (duels that extend onto the next chapter), I would like to point out that this duel was pre-written. Like Action Dueling, Yuga's next duel is a two parter, so yay!**


	25. Fight Fire with Fire

**Thank you Draen, Nirvash Neo, D3lph0xL0v3r, pokemonking0924 and king of the lion for your reviews on Chapter 24. I got mix opinions of Masuhiro's use of the Exodia deck, which you guys pointed out is almost impossible to win with in the meta. In this story's universe, it is almost impossible to win with as well, hence the shock from our heroes when Masuhiro managed to pull it off. Don't think he'll be doing it again though, Exodia duels aren't too entertaining. They often get too one sided (personal experience from dueling against Exodia decks), and I want to keep this story interesting somehow!**

 **Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It was a fun one to write, especially the duel.**

* * *

"Shin, come on sleepy head!" Yuga groaned, trying to pull Shin out of his bed. It was the day after he dueled Masuhiro at the basement of the card shop, and Shin had gone right to bed the second they got home from their late-night adventure. It was Friday, and the alarm they had set to go off every weekday was blaring at the top of its speakers. Normally, it was Yuga that was awoken by Shin, but this time the roles had taken a strange twist.

"No!" Shin declared, rolling over. "I'm sick!"

"You don't sound sick." Yuga muttered, tapping the top of the alarm clock to shut it off. "Come on, Shin. It's taco day! Which is normally on a Tuesday, but I'll take tacos any day! Plus, you don't want a detention from BOTH Hirose and Takada for ditching class, do you?"

"I'm not physically sick." Shin whined. "I'm sick of being weak."

Yuga sighed. "Shin, you faced Exodia. No one can beat that guy, not even the three Egyptian God Cards. You did what you had to, and just because you lost doesn't mean you are weak. Hell, even I wouldn't have stood a chance against that deck."

"You might not, but I will destroy it." A voice declared. Yuga looked over to see Vince strolling into the room, an annoyed look on his face.

"Geez, ever heard of knocking?" Yuga asked, glaring at Vince.

"I came up here because your alarm was driving me nuts!" Vince shot back. "I'm just down the hall after all, but I couldn't help but overhear your situation. You guys might not stand a chance against Exodia, but I already figured out the deck's main weakness."

"And what would that be?" Yuga asked.

"Simple." Vince chucked, pulling out a single card, which Yuga recognized as Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon. "Masuhiro used ten card effects during his duel with Shin."

"You counted?" Yuga asked.

"Well, duh." Vince said, shoving his card into Yuga's face, who recoiled. "And guess what? If this was on the field, after eight of those card effects he would be history." Vince put his card back into his duel pad. "I used Shin's duel with Masuhiro to study the desk patterns of that counterfeit Exodia deck, and I already declared that I would be Masuhiro's next opponent, so when I beat him at his own game, you guys can thank me by letting me have first shots at the Masked Man!" Vince then began laughing, as he strolled out of the room, whistling to himself in overconfidence.

"Great, least I accomplished something…" Shin moaned. "Inflated Vince's ego."

"So, Vince might beat Masuhiro because he watched you duel, so what?" Yuga smiled at Shin, putting his hand on Shin's shoulder. "It doesn't change the fact that we are all proud of you for standing up to that Shadow Duel like that… and plus if Vince does beat Masuhrio thanks to your duel, we can say he owes you one. Maybe he can get us some sweet rare cards with his connections, huh?"

Shin sighed, smiling as he sat up. "I can't stay mad… you're right, Yuga. Even if Vince does beat Masuhiro, it's thanks to me, right? And we still got a leg up on them. They can't possibly beat you or Ruka in a duel!"

"All right, that's the spirit!" Yuga cheered. "Now let's go to class before we both get detention!"

XxXxXxX

"You've done well to defeat the weak link." The Masked Man said, as Masuhiro sent his seal into the door before them. "But the seal is still strong. I will leave it up to you to decide how to proceed from here."

"No sweat." Masuhiro smirked. "Vince is my next target, and I know just how to break him." Masuhrio began giggling, holding up a deck box. "Vince will be defenseless under my power!"

"See to it that he is." The Masked Man growled. "I grow impatient, and do not wish to sully my hands with a duel unless the Three Wicked Gods are in my grasp! The weak link maybe gone, but the resolve that Yuga and his friends carry won't be broken until they know they are powerless against you."

"Geez, dramatic much?" Masuhiro asked. "Not to worry, M-man. I can't lose with the three decks I planned to defeat them with. Exodia did his part, but now that they know that plan, and Vince is my next target as I intended, it's time for deck two to play its role!"

XxXxXxX

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Shin." Naomi said, hugging Shin, the short dark blue haired boy massively blushing as her arms wrapped around him.

"But what worries me is Masuhiro." Ruka pointed out. "His deck can be anything. Vince is confident he will use Exodia against us again, but what if that isn't the case?"

"I'm sure Vince will handle whatever is thrown at him." Yuga said through a mouthful of taco. He then swallowed it, missing the grossed out looks his classmates were giving him. "Besides, Vince's deck isn't just able to counter card effects. With his monsters, I am sure he can handle anything thrown at him."

"You're forgetting something, Yuga." Roku chimed in.

"And that is?" Yuga asked, taking another large bite of taco.

"Vince holds a grudge." Roku stated. "Emotions and other factors can cause mistakes and overconfidence in a duel. We've seen signs of that already during our time here."

"When's that?" Ruka asked.

"Your first duel with Yuga for one." Roku pointed out, causing his sister to blush. "The point is, Vince isn't doing this just to defend his seal. He's doing it for revenge against Masuhiro. Don't forget, Vince was in a gang with him a few months ago, until it disbanded. I wouldn't put it past Vince to still hold negative emotions against that day. He isn't exactly the friendliest guy around. Hell, I am still sure he would give anything to duel you for revenge."

"Revenge?" Yuga asked.

"Vince thinks you and Ruka are an item, remember?" Roku asked, causing another large blush to appear on Ruka's face, and this time one to appear on Yuga's. "And you also beat him when you two were going for Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. Vince is the kind of person to hold a deep grudge, and I can only hope that he can keep his emotions in check tonight."

"He'll be fine." Yuga smiled. "Vince has changed since we teamed up with him to defend the school. He's learned that keeping these seals safe is more important than his grudge. Vince will win, and together, he, Ruka and I will defeat the Masked Man!"

 _We can only hope._ Everyone, excluding Asami and Yuga, thought. The day passed by quickly for them, and the second the night sky appeared and the card shop had closed, Vince was leading the way back to the card shop, his fists clenched as he walked, his eyes glaring straight ahead of him as the others followed.

"You know you guys can stay behind, right?" Vince snapped, looking over his shoulder as he walked. "I won't take long defeating this bastard."

"So much for not holding a grudge." Ruka muttered. Vince kicked open the back door, and took an immediate left to the door leading downstairs. As they descended down the stairs, Masuhiro was standing in the far side of the dueling area, looking up at them with his signature grin.

"Vince, I wasn't expecting you for another hour, but I had the feeling you were anxious to challenge me, so I did you a favor and got everything ready early." Masuhiro taunted.

"It's time, Masuhiro!" Vince shouted, igniting his duel pad. "We're going to settle the score, and at the end of the day you'll destroy yourself with that Exodia deck!"

"Who said I was using Exodia?" Masuhiro stated. "The deck I will be using is one that I think you will find most interesting, Vince." Masuhiro activated his duel pad, looking at the deck already in it. "In fact… I think you will find it very familiar to you."

"Enough talk!" Vince shouted, drawing five cards as Masuhiro did the same.

"Duel!"

Vince: 4000 vs Masuhiro: 4000

"I'll start, and trust me when I say I am going to wipe the floor with you!" Vince shouted. "I activate the spell card, Dragon Shrine! I can send one dragon monster from my deck to my graveyard, but if the monster I send is a normal monster, I can send 2! I send my Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and since he is a normal monster, I can send an additional monster, like my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!"

"Vince is planning on summoning from the graveyard." Shin noticed.

"Yes, and if I know what Vince is planning, he'll get more than one monster on the field this turn." Yuga stated.

"Now I summon my Black Stone of Legend (0/0)!" Vince declared. "But he won't be here for long. By tributing him, I can summon one Level 7 or lower Red-Eyes monster from my deck, and I choose Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon (2400/2000)! Next, I activate Silver's Cry! I can now summon one normal type Dragon monster from my graveyard, and I choose my Level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)! Next, I overlay my two dragons! Dark dragon encased in molten steel, burn my enemies to cinders with your mighty power! Xyz Summon! Rank 7, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon (2800/2400)! Now, let's see what you got!"

"All right, if Masuhiro is playing that Exodia deck, Vince has severely limited him!" Asami cheered.

"That's right." Roku nodded. "Masuhiro can only activate 8 card effects thanks to Flare Metal's effect. Each time he activates a card effect, Masuhiro takes 500 life points of damage."

Masuhrio, however, began chuckling. "Fool. I told you already that I am not playing with my Exodia deck! You wasted for time summoning that monster! Now I draw! I activate the spell card, Red-Eyes Fusion!"

"What!?" Vince gasped.

"Red-Eyes Fusion?" Everyone asked in stunned surprise.

"That's right, Vince!" Masuhiro laughed. "I must admit, I always admired you, so I fashioned a deck after you… but I will also admit I dislike you, so I figured the best way to end you was with your own deck! I take 500 life points of damage thanks to your Xyz Monster (Masuhiro: 4000 - 3500), but now I can fuse together two monsters from my hand, field OR deck! I fuse together my Level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon and my Level 6 Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact from my deck! The sky is streaked with fire, as the destructive comet descends from the heavens to vaporize all in its way! Fusion Summon! Level 8, Meteor Black Comet Dragon (3500/2000)!"

"That little…" Vince growled. "How dare you copy my deck!"

"What's the matter Vince?" Masuhiro chucked. "I thought you would be flattered I am imitating your deck. Now, I activate Meteor Black Comet Dragon's special effect! When he is Fusion Summoned, I can send one Red-Eyes from my hand or deck to my graveyard, and you take damage equal to half of that monster's original attack points. I send my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon from my hand to the graveyard to inflict 1200 points of damage to your life points (Vince: 4000 - 2800)!"

"But thanks to my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon, you take 500 points of damage for activating a card effect (Masuhiro: 3500 - 3000)!"

"It matters not." Masuhiro chucked. "For you're about to take worse than that! Meteor Black Comet Dragon, attack his Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon now!" The comet dragon roared, streaking across the battlefield with blinding speed, slamming into Flare Metal and vaporizing it (Vince: 2800 - 2100). "I'll place one card facedown. Your turn, Vince."

"Oh man, this looks bad." Shin muttered.

"Poor Vince." Yuga said sadly. "I can't imagine what he must be going through… I couldn't battle my own monsters with a clear conscious."

"I WILL CRUSH THOSE FAKES!" Vince roared, drawing a card.

"On second thought, I think he's just fine." Ruka sheepishly said, sweat dropping.

"You'll pay for using my own cards against me!" Vince shouted. "I activate my own Red-Eyes Fusion! I now send my Level 6 Summoned Skull and my second Level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck to the graveyard! The two souls of demon and dragon intertwine into an even greater power. Now, vaporize my enemies with the devil's fire! Fusion Summon! Level 9, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500)!"

"Nice play, but there's an issue." Roku noted. "Archfiend Black Skull Dragon has 300 less attack points then Meteor Black Comet Dragon."

"Vince must have something up his sleeve." Naomi noted.

"Now I activate the special effect of my Black Metal Dragon from my hand!" Vince declared. "I can equip him to one Red-Eyes monster I control, and that monster instantly gains 600 attack points. Since any monster summoned with Red-Eyes Fusion is treated as if it's name is Red-Eyes Black Dragon, I can use this card on my Archfiend Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500 - 3800/2500)! Now attack his phony monster!" Archfiend Black Skull Dragon roared, sending out what looked like a molten rock fireball. Meteor Black Comet Dragon roared in pain, vanishing in an explosion (Masuhiro: 3000 - 2700).

"Meteor Black Comet Dragon's effect activates!" Masuhiro declared. "When he is sent to the graveyard, I can special summon one Normal Monster from my graveyard, and I choose my Red-Eyes Black Dragon in defense mode!"

Vince grinned wickedly. "That won't save your life points! When my causes damage calculation, I can shuffle one Red-Eyes Normal Monster from my graveyard into my deck, and inflict damage to your life points equal to that monster's attack points! Go Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, damage him for the attack points of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon shuffled into my deck!" Archfiend Black Skill Dragon roared, glowing red. Masuhiro began to glow the same color red, screaming out as he took a knee from the pain (Masuhiro: 3000 - 300). "I end my turn there!"

"You got him on the ropes now, Vince!" Asami shouted.

"Just a bit more and you got him beat!" Naomi cheered.

Masuhiro growled, but then began laughing. "Does he have me beat now? I'll have you know, when I copy a deck, I don't just do it card for card. I often find ways to make improvements on the deck, and it's time to show you them! I draw! Reveal my facedown spell card, One for One! My sending one monster from my deck to the graveyard, I can special summon one Level 1 monster from my hand or deck. From my deck, I special summon the Tuner Monster, Flamvell Guard (100/2000)!"

"Tuner Monster!?" Vince shouted in surprise as everyone gasped. "But I don't Synchro Summon!"

"You do not, but I improved your deck by combining your Red-Eyes cards, with the Red Dragon Archfiend Synchro Monsters! Behold! I tune my Level 1 Flamevell Guard to my Level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon! In an inferno of power and might, a blazing beast is forged. Synchro Summon! Level 8, Red Dragon Archfiend (3000/2000)!"

Vince, however, smirked. "As impressive as that is, your still 800 attack points short of defeating my monster."

"Who said I was done, Vince?" Masuhiro laughed. "Now I play the spell card Double Summon! For this turn, I can normal summon twice instead of just once, and since I haven't normal summoned yet, I get to summon two times!"

Vince growled, his hand in a fast. "You're going to double tune into Red Nova Dragon."

"Not quite!" Masuhiro laughed. "Instead, I will be summoning the Level 1 Tuner Monster, Majestic Dragon; and the Level 1 Kuriboh!"

Vince got wide eyed. "How dare you put that filthy Kuriboh in a deck meant to copy mine!"

"Come now, Vince, surely your time at Union has taught you that every monster has its value?" Masuhiro taunted. "But either way this is where it ends! I tune my Level 1 Majestic Dragon to my Level 1 Kuriboh and my Level 8 Red Dragon Archfiend! A lone single polished light, become the true high-ruler and illuminate the earth! Synchro Summon! Level 10, Majestic Red Dragon (4000/3000)!"

"I've never heard of that monster before!" Vince shouted.

"I haven't either." Roku admitted. "But I get the feeling it is more than just a 4000-attack point beat stick."

"You'd be right Roku." Masuhiro chucked. "I activate Majestic Red Dragon's special effect! Once per turn, I can negate the effects of any monster you control, and my monster gains attack points equal to your monster's attack points! Majestic Red Dragon, negate the effects of Archfiend Black Skull Dragon (Majestic Red Dragon: 4000/3000 - 7800/3000)!"

"Seventy-eight thousand attack points!" Vince gasped in awe.

"This is the end! Majestic Red Dragon, attack his Archfiend Black Skull Dragon now!" Majestic Red Dragon launched streams of light from its body, vaporizing Vince's demon dragon and creating shock waves that send everyone flying (Vince: 2800 - 0).

Masuhiro Wins!

Masuhiro's cold laughter pierced the air as Vince collapsed to his knees, a stunned look on his face as he stared straight as Masuhiro, but his eyes seemed to not see, his mouth slightly open in shock. He then started falling forward, his hands just barely touching the ground to catch him as he stared directly at the floor, his eyes still unregistering and wide in shock.

"Vince!" Asami screamed out, running up to him and putting her hands on his shoulders. "Vince, say something!"

"How…" Vince whispered. "How could he beat me with my own cards?"

"Vince…" Asami whispered, worried.

"That's it!" Yuga suddenly shouted. Everyone, excluding Vince, looking up at him. His golden eyes were locked onto Masuhiro, glaring at him. "Next time we duel, I'm talking you on! I'm tired of you thinking that you can just defeat us with these phony fakes you created, Masuhiro! Regardless of what deck you copy, that's all the deck is, a copy. It cannot compare to the original! Even if Vince lost today, in the end he is still better then you! Why? Because his cards are the real thing!"

"Yuga…" Ruka muttered.

"You idiot." Vince suddenly whispered. Yuga turned to look at Vince, who was staring at Yuga, his eyes still wide in shock. "He beat me… it doesn't matter if his cards are fake…" Vince then held up his hand, the seal on it gone. "He won."

Masuhiro chuckled, Yuga turning back to him. The seal on Vince's hand was now on Masuhiro's. "Yes, I still won. And in the end, winning is all that matters."

"It's more than that." Yuga growled, clenching his fists. "We're dueling next! Unless you use your real cards, your real deck, you won't beat me! Any fake deck you use against me, I will defeat you!"

"Any fake deck?" Masuhiro said with wonder. He then smirked. "That gives me an idea… originally, I was going to use the same deck to defeat both you and Ruka, but if your claim is true, why not put it to the ultimate test?" Masuhrio started backing up, and Yuga noticed an open door on the other side of the room, which Masuhiro was slowly entering and becoming covered in darkness. "I am developing counter fits to a deck lost to time and it will be complete in one weeks' time! When that time comes, you and I will duel, and you will be crushed by the full might of the greatest counter fit deck of all time!

"Wait!" Yuga shouted, but as he ran up to the door, it suddenly slammed close, and any attempts Yuga made to open it was in vain. Masuhiro's laugh still echoed throughout the room, as all the lights around them shut off.

"One week… better get ready, Yuga."

XxXxXxX

Often, there were barely any students out on campus early in the mornings on a Saturday. Those that were often were going for a jog, or the nerds that were getting a head start on some homework so they could have Sunday completely free. Vince was never one of those students up as soon as the sun shined on a Sunday morning, but today he was, walking towards Union's main office. Vince looked determined, matching his way down the hallway of the main building until he reached a door that read 'Professor Toma', which he knocked on three times with three sharp taps.

"Come in." Professor Toma's voice came from the inside.

Vince opened the door, looking right at Professor Toma, who was typing rapidly on her computer. "I knew that if there was any professor awake this early, if would be you, Professor Toma."

"I got a lot of grading to do for my classes." Toma replied, pausing and looking up at Vince. "But why are you here? Your section of Advanced Summoning Methods with me is done."

Vince gulped. "I… I want you to tutor me in Synchro Summoning!" Toma's eyes went wide as she looked at Vince. Silence filled the room, as Toma's eyes remained locked on Vince, who was stiff as a bored, looking extremely uncomfortable. Vince began sweating a little as he continued. "I-I also wish to retake the Synchro test, and if possible fit Advanced Synchro Summoning into my schedule next year."

"What is this now?" Toma muttered. "I thought you were under the impression Synchro Summoning wouldn't work with your Red-Eyes deck, and didn't even want to take my… how did you put it? 'Stupid and useless summoning test'."

Vince bowed. "I apologize for insulting you, m'am." Vince paused, straightening his back once again. "But I realized that just because I have difficulty with a method, doesn't mean it is useless… an opponent I dueled yesterday showed me that, and I dueled a really powerful Synchro user since our test… If I want to become the best duelist I can be, I need to learn every summoning method I can, and incorporate as much of my skills as I can into my deck. So I am begging you… please help me achieve that goal."

Toma thought for a while, before smiling and turning to Vince. "We have a summer session for those that didn't complete a course. I would be willing to take you in for the summer Synchro session of Advanced Summoning Methods, so that you can complete the requirement for Advanced Synchro Summoning. There are tutors available during the summer for those that need it. I'm sure they will be of great help to you."

"Thank you so much!" Vince bowed, a smile forming on his face. "I won't disappoint you!"

"But you need to be sure you know what you are getting into." Toma warned. "The summer class is much faster paced and often challenging for those that take it. Are you ready for that kind of stress?"

"I am." Vince declared, looking at her determined. "I am ready for anything."

Toma nodded. "Then show me that this summer! And don't let me down!"

"I won't m'am!"


	26. The Engine of Destruction part 1

**So yeah, I suck at writing suspenseful drama... In the event you guys don't like the pre-duel stuff before the chapter, I very well might just rewrite it, but we will see.**

 **Thanks to Nirvash Neo, Draen, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion and pokemonking0924 for your reviews on Chapter 25!**

 **Also, I got a authors note at the end of the chapter, so be sure to read that! Enjoy!**

* * *

"It's been a week since your deal with Yuga." The Masked Man muttered, staring at the sealed door. "You have prepared THAT deck, yes?"

"Yes, sensei." Masuhiro chuckled. "Yuga will fall before this deck's incredible power, and his seal will be delivered to you before the night is over."

"Don't keep me waiting too long." The Masked Man stated. "The door is weak. One final seal could be all that is needed to break it, and I grow hungry to test the power of the Wicked Gods on someone."

Masuhiro snickered. "The gods will fall into your possession before the night is over. I can assure that."

"Make it so." The Masked Man declared. "And do not fail me. If Yuga beats you, I might turn the gods on you instead!"

"Even if he does win, which he won't." Masuhiro chuckled. "I got an idea to keep him distracted long enough so that you can take Ruka's seal. Of course, that is Plan B, and I never resort to Plan B!"

The Masked Man fell silent, staring at Masuhiro for a while before taking a few steps forward. "What are you planning?"

XxXxXxX

Yuga groaned loudly in frustration, walking out of Advanced Summoning Methods, and following the other students heading to Gym. "That test was absolute murder, and the worst part is I am going to have him next year as well… I've never had a teacher as bad as him."

"Come on, Yuga." Roku said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "He maybe strict, but he actually cares about his students, and don't want them to fail."

"That's what they all say." Yuga pouted, crossing his arms. "I hate him. He seems so evil, and cruel for no reason."

Ruka and Roku both sighed. Yuga may have grown up at an orphanage raised by staff members who hated kids and took their anger out on them, but it didn't mean that all adults who would strict on kids did it to be hateful and evil. Of course, Yuga wasn't going to understand that just by having it explained to him.

"Well, look on the bright side." Shin smiled. "It's May now, and we're almost done with the school year. We got our essays and test in to Hirose, so all that's left to do is finish up the other classes, take our final exams, and…"

"And defeat Masuhiro." Roku reminded them. "Along with the Masked Man. Don't forget they are both still at large, and I doubt we can finish the school year on a high note until both are defeated."

Shin pouted. "I was going to say finalize our junior year classes and living arrangements, but ok… Guess I forgot about that…"

"Speaking of the Shadow Duelists, you ready for tonight?" Asami asked Yuga. "Masuhiro seemed very confident that whatever deck he was counterfeiting was going to be able to defeat you."

"You bet." Yuga nodded, stopping just outside the locker rooms. "I got a few strategies in mind using some new cards you guys haven't seen in action yet. I am sure that I can handle whatever Masuhiro throws my way!"

"Just don't let your overconfidence be your undoing." Naomi warned. "Remember, he can have any deck in the world."

Yuga nodded. "Yeah, I know. But so can any other opponent you are facing, right? I'll be fine." Yuga smiled at her before walking into the guys locker room. One by one, the boys followed after him, and the girls went into their own locker room. Yuga was still smiling, but Roku didn't seem too sure. He followed Yuga until they both got to their lockers, and as they were opening them, Roku turned his head to look at Yuga.

"Let me give you a bit of advice." Roku sternly said.

"What is it?" Yuga asked, unlocking his locker.

"Don't act like the tough guy just to impress us." Roku explained, unlocking his own and opening it. "You are dueling a guy who can use any deck in the world, even ones that are lost to time. He could have decks from legendary duelists that we students wouldn't stand a chance against. You can't go into this with an attitude like that."

"So you're saying I'm too weak to fight him?" Yuga asked, his smile had faded.

"I'm saying you can't be too sure about your victory." Roku explained. "We're going up against the unknown, but not just any unknown. Masuhiro had Exodia, copied Vince's deck to the very last card and improved on it. He could use anything against you, even your own deck. You need to make sure you are ready for anything, Yuga, cause if you are caught off guard, you will lose. I was caught off guard, and look what happened to me."

Yuga looked seriously at his gym shirt, now sitting their shirtless, before pulling his gym shirt on. "Even if he uses anything against me… if isn't the real thing. Masuhiro can't duel at his best with cards that aren't his. I will win."

"But…" Roku muttered, but he was cut off by Yuga, who was finished changing.

"Trust me, I got this one." Yuga said in a matter of fact tone, running off.

"I hope you are right." Roku muttered, staring after Yuga with concern.

XxXxXxX

"Well, it's almost time!" Yuga said excitedly, grabbing his deck from his desk in his dorm. "Shin and the others promised to meet me downstairs, so I guess I better head on down. Heh, poor Shin, having detention with Hirose because his essay was late… told him that it was fine but he kept on insisting he needed to improve it, and by the time he was satisfied the deadline had passed." Yuga hummed to himself approaching his door, but as he swung it open, he was greeted by Ruka standing there, staring at him with a concerned expression on her face.

"R-Ruka?" Yuga asked, stunned.

"Hello, Yuga." Ruka said.

"Why so formal?" Yuga asked, scratching his head, then he grinned. "Oh, I get it! You came to walk me down, huh?"

Ruka bit her bottom lip, and before Yuga could even react, she had slapped him. His eyes were wide, staring at the wall that his head was forced to look at. Yuga slowly looked back at Ruka, who was shaking a little, trying to hold back her tears. "You… you don't get it at all, do you!"

"Get what?" Yuga asked.

"Our concern!" Ruka yelled, dissolving into tears. "Yuga, Roku told me what happened in the locker room. Your attitude towards his advice, his wisdom. Roku and I, and all of us, we want you to win… but you have this overconfident attitude about this. What happens if Masuhiro uses Yugi Moto's deck, what will you do then!?" Yuga gasped, and looked at Ruka in shock, as if having never considered that option before. "Don't you sense it too? The door is way too weak! If you lose here, that door is opening! You put on this brave façade, acting like nothing could go wrong when you duel. You aren't the perfect duelist, Yuga, you have your faults, and your deck can't counter everything out there. Shin went into his duel with that same overconfident attitude you are showing right now, and look what happened. Yuga… you need to recognize what is going on here. You can be facing anything, maybe even something you aren't ready for…"

Yuga looked down at Ruka for a moment, before pulling her into a hug, shocking the girl. "I know… I know what I could be facing could very well spell my doom. I guess I have been acting so confident over the past week because deep down, I want to believe that if he uses a fake counterfeit deck, I can win… but in reality, I guess I know the truth… he could very well use a deck that I can't beat. A deck from a legendary duelist, or even a deck that is designed for the sole purpose of countering my own… but we didn't come this far in dueling with these Shadow Duelists doubting ourselves. At the same time, we didn't come this far acting like overconfident idiots either…"

"Yuga." Ruka whispered, hugging him back.

"Thanks for bringing me back to Earth, Ruka. You're right, I need to be careful during this duel. The fate of the world is on the line, after all, and if I lose here, then it's game over." Yuga pulled away, nodding at her, before heading back to his deck box and taking out a card, placing it into his deck. "I was so overconfident, I didn't even think I would need this… but I guess I should place it in my deck… because who knows what I will be facing."

Ruka nodded, drying her tears. "Sorry about slapping you by the way…"

"No worries." Yuga nodded, smiling. "You got through to me with that slap. Now, let's go."

XxXxXxX

"You'd think the Card Shop would realize this backdoor has been used twice already." Yuga muttered, opening the door and shining his flashlight inside, pointing it towards the basement door. "Well, here we go."

As they headed downstairs, once again they could see Masuhiro waiting for them on the other side of the dueling arena. Yuga took his place on the other side, while the others headed over towards the wall under the big screen to watch. Masuhiro grinned. "About time. You're late by 15 minutes, but you are lucky that I am not going to declare that you automatically forfeit, because I want to test this deck out… BED01!"

"Here we go." Asami muttered.

"I hope Yuga won't mess up." Shin whispered.

"He won't." Ruka stated. "I know he's ready, but not overconfident in his abilities."

"Action Field, activate!" Yuga declared. A series of platforms appeared in the air, spreading all around the room, and action cards burst forth, spreading around the field to where the duelists had to retrieve them."

"Tell you what, let's make this even more interesting." Masuhiro announced, drawing five cards. "If you win, I'll give you the identity of who the Masked Man really is."

"W-what?" Shin gasped. "You mean…"

"I am the only one that really knows the identity of the Masked Man." Masuhiro declared.

"You better not be lying." Yuga stated, drawing his five cards. "And you better honor that promise if I win!"

"Trust me, I will." Masuhiro declared. "Now, get ready!"

"Action… Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Masuhiro: 4000

"I'll begin." Masuhiro chuckled, looking at his hand. "I summon The White Stone of Ancients (600/500)!" A bright, glowing white egg shaped stone emerged from the ground.

"That's your monster?" Yuga asked, looking at it with confusion. "I've seen more threatening creatures in my cereal."

"You would do well not to underestimate me." Masuhiro grinned. "Now I place a card facedown and activate the spell card Dark Hole!" A monstrous black hole appeared in the ground, and suddenly the white stone sank into it, disappearing into the void.

"What was that move for?" Ruka asked. "Masuhiro just destroyed his only monster."

"No…" Roku suddenly muttered.

"What?" Naomi asked him.

"What's wrong, Roku?" Asami wondered, but it was Vince who answered.

"If Masuhiro copied the deck I think he copied, then that stone…" Vince muttered with surprise.

"Correct, my old friend." Masuhiro laughed. "If my White Stone of Ancients is in my graveyard during my End Phase, on the turn it was destroyed I can special summon one monster from my deck… the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" The stone re-emerged on the field, and suddenly it began transforming, taking on the shape of the dragon Yuga had seen only in text books and internet research. Blue Eyes White Dragon roared viciously, staring down the field with hungry eyes, ready to feed on all of Yuga's monsters.

"No way!" Shin gasped.

"Masuhiro actually copied Seto Kaiba's deck." Roku muttered.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Yuga whispered, staring up at the creature.

"Yuga." Masuhiro said, dawning a serious face. "You will not win. You, or any duelist alive, cannot fight Seto Kaiba's deck! Face the engine of destruction, and lose!"

Yuga grit his teeth. "There's only one way to find out!" Yuga put his fingers on his deck, staring down at it. _I never imagined I would face the Blue-Eyes White Dragon… but I am, and I need to play with my best to win this duel!_ "I'll draw! I place my Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and my Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon into my Pendulum Zones! With this, I can special summon multiple monsters from Level 2 to Level 7! Now, I Pendulum Summon my Level 4 Dragonpulse Magician (1800/900), and my Level 4 Xiangsheng Magician! Now, I overlay my two monsters! Formed from pitch black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (2500/200)!"

"Yes!" Ruka cheered. "With Dark Rebellion's effect, Yuga can destroy Blue-Eyes!"

"I activate the effect of my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuga announced. "By detaching both his overlay units, I can half the attack of one face up monster you control, and add that attack onto Dark Rebellion! I of course target your Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Blue-Eyes: 3000/2500 - 1500/2500, Dark Rebellion: 2500/2000 - 4000/2000)!"

"Go, Yuga!" Shin cheered.

"This'll deal a large chunk of damage to Masuhiro's life points as well." Roku nodded.

"Attack!" Yuga declared. "Destroy his Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Trap activate!" Masuhiro declared. "Negate Attack! Your attack is canceled and your battle phase ends!" Masuhiro then noticed Yuga running towards an action card. "Oh no you don't!" With a sudden click of his shoes, they popped out two wheels each, turning into roller skates. Masuhiro then rocketed toward, slamming into Yuga and grabbing the Action Card he was going for. Masuhiro looked at the card and snickered. "This wouldn't have helped you anyway, but it might help me later on."

Yuga growled. "Your Blue-Eyes is still weakened from my Dark Rebellion's effect. I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Then I go!" Masuhiro declared, drawing a card. He looked at the card, and a large grin spread across his face. "Since my Blue-Eyes is now useless, I shall exchange him for another, more fearsome monster… Activate Ritual Spell, Chaos Form! I can use this card to Ritual Summon any Chaos monster I choose! I sacrifice my Blue-Eyes White Dragon to commence the ritual!"

"Wait, a Level 8 Ritual Monster?" Yuga asked.

"It can't be!" Roku shouted.

"Blue-Eyed Dragon of Legend, unleash the dormant chaotic power within you! Gain power equal to that of a God! Ritual Summon! Level 8, the Chaotic Engine of Destruction! Blue-Eyes Chaos Max Dragon (4000/0)!"

"But it's attack points are the same as Dark Rebellion's!" Ruka noticed. "Is he aiming for a tie?"

"Not quite." Vince muttered. "Look."

"I activate the Action Magic I stole from you earlier, Assault! When a monster I control battles your monster, my monster gains 600 attack points (Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon: 4000/0 - 4600/0)! Chaos MAX Dragon, destroy Dark Rebellion!"

"Yuga!" Ruka shouted.

"Trap Activate, Mirror Force!" Yuga shouted. "Your attack is rebounded back at you, and your monster is destroyed!"

"I won't let you!" Masuhiro screamed, clicking his shoes together again and jetting forward, seizing an Action Card. "Action Magic, Aggressive Attack! My monster gains 400 attack points and is immune to destruction via card effects. Additionally, if his original attack didn't destroy your monster, he can attack again (Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon: 4600/0 - 5000/0)! Chaos MAX Dragon, attack once more!"

"Dark Rebellion!" Yuga shouted. The black dragon soared down, and Yuga climbed on his back. The two soared into the air to a higher platform, where Yuga jumped off and grabbed an Action Card. "Action Magic Miracle! Any monster that attacks this turn cannot be destroyed by battle!" Dark Rebellion roared out, taking the attack. Yuga braced himself as he jumped down the platforms, eventually reaching the bottom. "However, I still take battle damage (Yuga: 4000 - 3000)."

Masuhiro smirked. "Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon's attack returns to normal (Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon: 5000/0 - 4000/0). Your turn, little Yuga."

Ruka sighed. "That was too close."

"It isn't over yet." Roku stated. "Yuga still has that Ritual Blue-Eyes to deal with."

"Why bother?" Vince asked. "Yuga has lost. There's no way he can face a monster that strong."

"Yuga will win." Ruka snapped at Vince, before turning back to look at Yuga, worry filling her eyes and voice. "He has to win…"

Yuga looked over at her and nodded, before turning back to Masuhrio. "My turn, I draw!" Yuga looked at the card, then looked back up at Masuhiro. "I use the previously set Pendulum Scale to Pendulum Summon my Level 7 Dragoncaller Magician (2400/1000)!" A human female wearing a blue and red outfit appeared, holding a dark green staff. "I activate Dragoncaller Magician's special effect! She can change her type to Dragon till the end of this turn, additionally, if she is used in a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon, the monster she is used for material on double's their original attack if the monster it battles is a Dragon type!"

"So Yuga is planning on summoning a monster strong enough to take out that Chaos MAX Dragon?" Naomi asked.

"If Yuga summons a powerful enough monster, any Dragon Masuhiro summons will be useless."

"But what monster could have that kind of power?" Ruka asked.

"I now active the spell card, The Phantom Knights of Possession!" Yuga declared. "An Xyz Monster on my side of the field now gains a level equal to another monster on my side of the field. With Dragoncaller Magician, I grant Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon a level of 7!"

Ruka then gasped, recalling Yuga changing Dark Rebellion's rank to a level before. "Yuga! No!"

"What is it?" Roku asked.

"Yuga is going to summon that dark monster of his!" Ruka cried, tears forming. "He's going to summon Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!"

Yuga grit his teeth, his eyes flashing a little. "I overlay my Level 7 Dragoncaller Magician, and my Level 7 Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Magician of dragon's blood, dragon of pitch black darkness, combine your powers into one fearsome beast! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 7! Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon (3000/2500!" Yuga then roared, his right eye becoming blood red and his left eye becoming poison green as a dark aura surrounded his body. "Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon now gains an effect thanks to Dragoncaller Magician! Because he is going to battle your Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, his attack points double to 6000 (Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon: 3000/2500 - 6000/2500)! Attack, destroy his Chaos MAX Dragon!"

Masuhiro raced forward again as Odd-Eyes Rebellion tore through the sky, aiming to pierce Blue-Eyes. Masuhrio grabbed an Action Card just as Blue-Eyes was impaled. "Action magic, Damage Sponge! I only take half of the damage I would have taken for this battle!" Blue-Eyes Chaos Max Dragon exploded, and Mashurio screamed out as he was sent flying (Masuhiro: 4000 - 3000).

"You avoided serious damage there, but my Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon can now destroy any Dragon monster you throw against him." Yuga noted, glaring down at Masuhiro. "It's your turn now."

"Y-Yuga?" Ruka asked.

Yuga looked over at her. "I'm fine, Ruka."

"But…"

Yuga looked down at his open palmed hand, before clenching it into a fist. "This power of mine… I need it to defeat the Blue-Eyes. I know you hate it, but I summoned this power myself, just like I did when that mugger threatened Shin and I. If I summon it, it's mine to control!"

Yuga…" Ruka muttered.

Roku placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Yuga seems to be in control, sis. Let him do what he needs to do."

"Yeah, I mean thanks to that power, Yuga and I weren't robbed, or even worse shot." Shin stated. "Trust me, I hate seeing that expression on Yuga's face too, but as long as he calls the power himself, I think we got nothing to worry about." Shin nodded at Yuga, who nodded back. Masuhiro, however, began chuckling as he stood up.

"That… was impressive, I have to admit." Masuhrio grinned, looking at Yuga. "I never thought you could destroy my Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon… but that was only the beginning! Now you face the full power of my Blue-Eyes Deck!"

To Be Continued…

* * *

 **Yay, cliffhangers!**

 **Alright, so the suspenseful drama was Roku and Ruka talking to Yuga. Not sure if it was written well AT ALL, so yeah let me know about that, because that is what I am going to rewrite if it is bad...**

 **Anyway, new YuGiOh** **VRAINS** **Anime... Linked Summons and Link Monsters... yeah, not sure how much I like it. The game is completely changing because of it. On the one hand, you can't spam the field with Extra Deck monsters which is great, but on the other a lot of archetypes and decks are USELESS now! It basically makes all decks forced to have Linked Monsters included with them. Not too sure how much I like this new mechanic, and I even think because of it the metagame will be split into Pre-Linked Summon and Post-Linked Summon, so here is what I decided.**

 **This started as an Arc-V story, with the Arc-V pre-linked summon metagame rules. It will continue to be that way unless Linked Summons and Link Monsters are awesome and are splashable in ALL decks, and in the case maybe Yuga's senior year will be an Arc-V/VRAINS crossover, but I wouldn't count on that.**

 **In addition, this story might end at the conclusion of Year 1, and I will make Yuga's Second Year into a new sequel story, but I am not sure about that yet.**

 **Thank you all for reading the chapter and my rambling!**


	27. The Engine of Destruction part 2

**So I managed to tear myself away from my new Nintendo Switch and Breath of the Wild long enough to finish my homework that is due today, and after I was done with that, I decided to finish up this chapter, since I already had it mostly written.**

 **Thanks to Draen, D3lph0xL0v3r, FurySong, pokemonking0924 and king of the lion for your reviews on Chapter 26! Glad you guys thought the chapter was written ok, I was somewhat worried about it.**

 **Enjoy! _*races back to play Breath of the Wild*_**

* * *

Duel in Progress - Yuga: 3000 vs Masuhiro: 3000

Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon roared in victory, having just slaughtered Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon. With the power of Dragoncaller Magician running through him, any Dragon-type monster he battled doubled his original attack power, and facing the Blue-Eyes meant that he would be facing many dragons. Yuga stood under him, his dark power channeling through his body, the dark aura surrounding him as he stared at Masuhiro, his right eye blood red and his left eye a poison green. "It's your move."

"I'll gladly take it!" Masuhiro shouted, drawing. "You think you are so cleaver? Just because you destroyed my Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon doesn't mean this duel is over, Yuga! I summon my Maiden with Eyes of Blue (0/0)! Then, I end my turn!"

"That's it?" Shin asked.

"Careful, Yuga!" Roku warned him. "That monster must have a purpose if Masuhiro summoned it in attack mode!"

"All I see is a defenseless monster!" Yuga stated, drawing a card to declare his turn. "Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon, attack his maiden and wipe out his life points!"

"Not so fast, Yuga!" Masuhiro declared. "When my maiden is declared as a target for an attack, by changing her battle mode, I can negate your attack!" The Maiden changed into defense mode, and Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon halted his charge. "Farther more, I can now special summon one Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand, deck, or graveyard… so from my deck, I special summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!"

Yuga hissed. "I end my turn."

"Yuga…" Ruka whispered.

"How careless." Vince muttered. "Just what was Yuga thinking? Flying blindly into battle like that."

"It's my turn now!" Masuhiro stated, drawing a card. "Now, I tune my Maiden with Eyes of Blue to my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"What?" Yuga gasped. "That monster is a tuner?"

"Dragon of legend, gloss yourself in silver and appear before me to rally your brethren into battle! Synchro Summon! Level 9, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon (2500/3000)!" Masuhiro chanted.

"That monster is in defense mode." Asami noted.

"With 3000 defense, normally Azure-Eyes would bring Odd-Eyes Rebellion into a stale mate." Ruka noted.

"But because of Dragoncaller Magician, Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon doubles its attack points while battling another Dragon, which Azure-Eyes is." Naomi stated.

"Oh, trust me, I am not worried about Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon." Masuhiro chucked, looking at the card he drew. "Thanks to this! But first, I will activate the magic card Silver's Cry! Thanks to this, I can now special summon one Normal Type Dragon monster from my graveyard, and of course I choose my Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Now to activate the card I drew… Burst Stream of Destruction!"

"What!?" Yuga gasped.

Masuhiro laughed. "Because I control one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I can sacrifice my dragon's attack this turn to instantly wipe out your field! Go Blue-Eyes, use your Burst Stream of Destruction!" Blue-Eyes roared, sending out a beam of light that vaporized Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon instantly.

"No…" Yuga whispered, watching as Odd-Eyes Rebellion vanished. "He was my best chance…"

"And he's gone!" Masuhiro said with glee. "But lucky for you, I cannot attack this turn, so make your best play, Yuga, because I'm not going to back down!"

"Very well, Masuhiro!" Yuga declared. "I'll draw! I activate the spell card, Pot of Riches! By shuffling three Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck or my Graveyard, I can draw two cards. I'll shuffle Dragoncaller Magician, Dragonpulse Magician, and Xiangsheng Magician to my deck." _I need the right cards to pull this off…_ Yuga then drew two cards, and smirked as he looked at them. "Ready? I activate the spell card Odd-Eyes Fusion! With this, I can Fusion Summon one Dragon-Type Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using monster from my hand or field. Additionally, because you control two monsters and I control none, I can also use up to two Odd-Eyes monsters in my Extra Deck. Since he's face up in my Extra Deck, and is an Odd-Eyes monster, I use Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon and fuse him with the Dragonpit Magician in my hand! Mighty duel-eyed dragon, spell caster of untold power, combine your strength into a new mighty dragon! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (3000/2500)!"

"Alright, with Rune-Eyes, Yuga is matched against Masuhiro's Blue-Eyes!" Naomi cheered.

"But their attack is the same, so all Yuga would do is destroy both their monsters." Roku explained. "Let's not forget that Masuhiro also has Azure-Eyes on his fiend, and we aren't sure what that monster is capable of."

"It's not going to stay around long enough to show us, because Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon can attack up to three monsters this turn because he was fused using a Level 5 or higher spell caster monster!" Yuga declared, rushing forward and grabbing an action card. "Action Magic, Berserk! A monster on my side of the field gains 500 attack points (Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: 3000/2500 - 3500/2500! Rune-Eyes, attack his Blue-Eyes White Dragon and his Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!"

"I won't let that happen!" Masuhiro declared, charging forward and grabbing an action card. "Action Magic, Evasion! When a monster on your side of the field declares an attack, that attack is negated instantly."

"But I still got attacks number two and three!" Yuga stated. "Destroy his Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!"

"Action Magic, Immortality!" Masuhiro declared, having grabbed another Action Card as he zipped around the field. "One monster I control this turn cannot be destroyed by battle, and I choose Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon."

"Attack number three!" Yuga shouted, angry. "Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, destroy his Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Masuhiro yelled out as he raced forward, grabbing an Action Card just before Rune-Eyes' attack hit. He looked at it with a bit of anger, before playing it. "Action Magic, Attack Shift. I can make your monster's attack go to another monster, however any card preventing that monster's destruction is negated!" Azure-Eyes charged in front of Blue-Eyes, taking the attack and exploding instantly.

"Too bad, seems like Azure-Eyes didn't want to show his effect after all." Yuga taunted. "It's your move."

"You'll pay for that, Yuga." Masuhiro growled, drawing a card. He then smirked, before putting it into his hand and playing his other card. "I play the spell card Foolish Burial. I can choose one monster from my deck and send it to the graveyard, and I choose my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Now he has two Blue-Eyes in his graveyard, and one still on the field!" Asami noted.

"Careful, Yuga!" Roku warned. "I think Masuhiro is planning something!"

"Indeed I am!" Masuhiro laughed. "I now play the spell card Dragon's Mirror!"

"Dragon's Mirror!" Vince gasped in shock.

"What does that do?" Ruka asked.

"It allows Masuhiro to Fusion Summon a Dragon-Type Fusion Monster using materials from not only his field, but his graveyard as well." Roku explained. "And since he has one Blue-Eyes on his field, and two in his grave…"

"I fuse together the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on my friend with the two Blue-Eyes White Dragon's in my graveyard! I banish them all into the mirror!" Masuhiro declared, as a golden mirror with dragon wings appeared on the field, sucking the Blue-Eyes White Dragon into it and reflecting an image of the two in his graveyard, before they began swirling together. "Almighty engine of destruction, combine with your brothers and merge into the most powerful dragon that ever roamed the world! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Level 12, the ultimate engine of absolute devastation! Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)!"

"Neo Blue-Eyes…" Shin whispered in fear.

"Ultimate Dragon." Naomi also whispered, staring up at the three headed Blue-Eyes in shock. Even Yuga stood their speechless, staring at the Blue-Eyes with his mouth hanging open a little bit.

"Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's special effect!" Masuhiro declared. "By sending one Blue-Eyes Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck to the graveyard, my Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon can attack once more! I send my Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon and my original Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to my graveyard to attack three times!" Yuga, upon hearing that, rushed forward, climbing on Rune-Eyes, who began racing towards an Action Card. "Even if you get the final Action Card, I still win! Attack Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, then attack Yuga directly!"

Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared out, firing one beam of white lightning energy from its middle head, before firing a second beam from the left head, and a final beam from the right head. Yuga looked to his left, staring in shock as the three beams met their target, causing a huge explosion, and creating a ton of smoke.

"YUGA!" Ruka cried out, almost running onto the field if Roku did not catch her.

"I win!" Masuhiro cheered. "I win, I-"

Masuhiro's face went from glee to shock, as a pair of red and green eyes glowed out of the smoke. As it cleared, Yuga was seen standing with some damage on his clothes, looking at Masuhiro with a serious look, an Action Card on his duel disk activated.

"Action Magic, One Bullet Left. If this card is activated, a monster can only make one attack per turn. Since you could only make one attack with your Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the only attack that went through was the one that destroyed my Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (Yuga: 3000 - 1500). Additionally, I can draw one card upon activating this card." Yuga drew, looking at the card before placing it in his hand, bringing his hand to two cards.

"But, I was assured victory!" Masuhiro whined, falling to his knees.

"Quit whining and end your turn." Yuga snapped.

Masuhiro sobbed a bit, then smirked as he rose to his feet. "Fine, so you live another turn, but your fate is sealed! No monster in your deck can defeat my Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! He's too powerful!"

"Don't be so sure." Yuga said, drawing a card and looking down at it. He then smirked. "Pay attention, Masuhiro, and just remember your deal with me."

"W-what?" Masuhiro was shocked. "You can't have… you can't have found a card to destroy my Neo Blue-Eyes!"

"I did. First, using the already set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon the Level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500/2000)!" Odd-Eyes roared upon emerging on the field, glaring up at Neo Blue-Eyes.

"What's he going to do?" Masuhiro taunted. "Your monster is 2000 attack points too weak!"

"I'm not done." Yuga announced. "Next, I activate the special effect of the Nobledragon Magician in my hand. I can reduce the level of one Odd-Eyes monster I control by 3, and special summon her from my hand (Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: Lv. 7 - Lv. 4). Come forth, Nobledragon Magician (700/1400)! Now, I tune my Level 4 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to my Level 3 Nobledragon Magician! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (2500/2000)!"

"Yes! With that, Yuga can destroy Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon when it activates his effect!" Shin cheered.

Masuhiro snickered. "Don't count on that. My Neo Blue-Eyes can just attack without activating his effect! You wasted your time, Yuga!"

"I'm not done." Yuga declared. "So quiet down and let me finish my turn."

"W-what?" Masuhiro said stunned.

"I still got one card left in my hand, and I can still normal summon!" Yuga stated. "I normal summon the Level 1 Effect Vailer (0/0)! Now, I tune my Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon to my Level 1 Effect Veiler!"

"Another Synchro Summon?" Ruka asked, shocked. "So why didn't he just Synchro Summon using Odd-Eyes at Level 7… unless…"

"An evolved Clear Wing." Roku smiled. "Yuga, you've done it again."

"Spread those wings shining with scared light. Strike down your enemies with that radiance!" Yuga chanted. "Synchro Summon! Level 8, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon (3000/2500)! Now, I will attack your Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"But you can't!" Masuhiro taunted, half grinning, half worried. "Your new dragon is too weak!"

"That's where you are wrong!" Yuga declared. "Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon's attack points increase by the number of attack points whatever monster Crystal Wing is battling has!"

"So if Crystal Wing attacks the 4500 attack point Neo Blue-Eyes…" Asami began doing the math.

"Crystal Wing will have 7500 attack points." Naomi instantly stated.

"T-That can't be!" Masuhiro yelled in surprise.

"GO!" Yuga shouted, "Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon (3000/2500 - 7500/2500), attack his Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and end this duel!" Crystal Wing roared, zooming forward and slamming into Neo Blue-Eyes, causing a huge explosion that send Masuhiro flying into the wall. He hit it hard, sliding down it and groaning in pain as he hit the floor (Masuhiro: 3000 - 0).

Yuga Wins!

"Yuga, you did it!" Ruka cheered, running forward.

"I can't believe Yuga managed to beat Blue-Eyes…" Shin whispered.

"Yuga! Yuga?" Ruka halted, looking at Yuga with a sudden fear. Yuga had ignored her, and was approaching Masuhrio, his darkness radiating off him bigger than before, his eyes starting to glow a big.

"Talk." Yuga said, stopping short of trampling Masuhiro. "We had a deal."

Masuhiro let out a weak laugh. "I don't remember a deal."

"You little-" Yuga growled, picking Masuhiro up by the collar. "Talk! Who is the Masked Man!?"

"Yuga!" Ruka shouted in shock and fear.

Everyone else was looking worried. Vince, however, walked right up to Yuga's side and glared at Masuhiro. "I believe you owe my friend, Masuhiro. You did promise after all."

"Friend?" Masuhiro asked, looking at Vince with a smug grin. "Since when did you consider these nerds your friend?"

"They aren't half as bad as you are, you little turd." Vince said, glaring.

"Fine, fine." Masuhiro chuckled. "Your hint to the Masked Man, as promised… he's been right under your noses the whole damn time."

"What do you mean?" Yuga asked.

"Surely you jest." Masuhiro chucked. "The Masked Man is a teacher at Union! He's been right under your noses the entire time, working behind everyone else's back."

"Which teacher?" Vince asked.

"I said a hint." Masuhiro laughed. "I didn't say I would tell you WHICH teacher, now did I? But from the look on Yuga's face, I think he's on to something."

Yuga was staring in shock at the wall, before dropping Masuhiro, who landed on his butt, letting out a small moan of pain. "I knew it…"

"Yuga?" Ruka asked.

"I always guess there was a reason he was so cruel, but I didn't think he was evil." Yuga started growling even louder, his dark aura flaring. "THAT SWINE HIROSE!"

"YUGA!" Everyone shouted, as Yuga tore off, sprinting up the stairs and out of sight, somehow running faster than he ever did before. Masuhiro was laughing hard, practically rolling on the floor.

"You jerk!" Ruka shouted, rounding on Masuhiro. "You know Yuga hates Hirose, do you did that on purpose!"

"Who is to say my hint is wrong, hmm?" Masuhiro shrugged. "Perhaps Yuga is right and the Masked Man IS Hirose, or perhaps the Masked Man is another teacher and Yuga just missed the mark?"

"Or perhaps you are a bastard who needs a pounding!" Vince yelled, his fist ready to strike.

"Forget it." Roku warned. "We need to catch up to Yuga."

"Then let's go!" Shin shouted.

"Hold up." Masuhiro suddenly said.

"What do you want now?" Ruka snapped, glaring at him.

Masuhiro was tapping on his duel pad. "I have a message for you, Ruka, one that you probably need to see." He tapped for a final time, and from the duel pad's halographic projector came an image of the Masked Man, who was looking directly at Ruka as if he had thought, and knew she was standing right there.

"Greetings, Ruka." The Masked Man stated. "If you are listening to this, it means we have some unfinished business. Seems like Masuhiro couldn't defeat Yuga after all, but not to worry. By the end of the night, the door will open, and the Wicked Gods will be mine at least. But first, you and I should settle the score we started in October, the day you discovered me breaking into the Lab Computers during your Homecoming. Come to the door, Ruka, I believe you already know how to get here. I will be waiting for you."

"What do we do?" Shin asked, as the Masked Man hologram disappeared. "Yuga is going after Hirose, but the real Masked Man is by the door…"

Ruka thought for a moment, before turning to the others. "Right now, keeping the seals safe is Priority 1."

"But Yuga…" Shin muttered.

"She's right." Roku stated. "We made a promise to keep the seals, and if the Masked Man knows Masuhiro is beaten and that Ruka is skipping out on dueling him, he could bend the rules to take her seal instantly."

"Yuga might get his stupid ass expelled tonight." Vince muttered. "But we got a job to do."

"I-" Shin was about to say.

"You can go after him if you want." Vince stated. "But I think it's better if we go after the Masked Man. Let Yuga get himself expelled if he wants, but I'd rather not become an accomplice in it."

Shin sighed, defeated. He knew Yuga was making a terrible mistake, but in his head, he knew it was best to go after the real Masked Man, instead of wasting time trying to stop Yuga from dealing with Hirose. "I hope he will be ok in the end."

"Let's move." Ruka said to them. "We need to stop the Masked Man once and for all! And once I defeat him in a duel, we can unmask him and see for sure who he is, teacher at Union or not!"

"Right!" Everyone shouted at once, and they all began heading up the stairs to get to the dumpster they needed to enter to get to the sealed door. At that time, Yuga was dashing across the street, thunder clapping in the sky above him, as rain began falling from the heavens, getting harder and harder as he ran. This didn't distract him, if fact he hardly seemed to notice it. The dark aura of his flared back as he ran, only one thought was on his mind. Duel Hirose and defeat him.

* * *

 **Edit: I goofed. I remembered Rune-Eyes Fusion Material wrong. It is supposed to be "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" + 1 Spellcaster-Type monster. In the story I used Odd-Eyes Rebellion instead of Odd-Eyes Pendulum, which in the OCG and TCG is inaccurate. HOWEVER, this is possible using the Anime Fusion Material requirements, which are: 1 Pendulum Dragon monster + 1 Spellcaster-Type monster. Since Odd-Eyes Rebellion is a Pendulum Monster that is a Dragon-Type, this technically works... I think. Either way, let's just say for this story, Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon needs a Pendulum Dragon monster and a Spellcaster. Sorry if this pisses some fans off tho...**


	28. The Gathering of Darkness part 1

**I've been dying to get to this part since I begun work on this story. Seems weird to be this far along, after all this time.**

 **Thanks to Draen, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion and pokemonking0924 for your reviews on Chapter 27! Another authors note is at the bottom for those that wanna read my thoughts and stuff.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Thunder clapped as droplets of rain began falling from the sky, drenching Yuga as he ran on the side walk outside of Union Duel School's main gates, his eyes glowing and focused, his dark aura flaring like a campfire. Yuga turned sharply once he reached the open gates of Union, his feet hitting the ground hard, sending water flying in all directions. But the boy seemed to pay no attention to how soaked he was getting, or the clapping of thunder that got louder as the storm raged on. Only one thing was on his mind, and it was to find Hirose.

The Professor in question was currently in his office, checking off the final test he was grading that night. He sighed as he marked the final answer wrong, wrote a grade of 'B' on a test labeled to be for Shin, and placed it on top of the pile. "That's it then… seems like I know which student is getting my prize then…" He stood up, walking over to his window and looking out into the night, a grim look on his face as a lightning bolt stuck ground nearby, thunder roaring though the sky immediately after. "An omen? Or perhaps just an overdue storm?"

Hirose watched the rain fall for some time before turning back to his desk, his eyes scanning the two piles of papers. Suddenly, a slamming noise echoed though out his office, and when Hirose looked up he saw Yuga standing there, soaked, and his office door hanging by only one hinge.

"Yuga!" Hirose growled, glaring. "Where do you get off breaking my door?" That's when Hirose looked at Yuga's eyes, and his own widened at the sight. _Those eyes…_

XxXxX Flashback XxXxX

"We need to talk."

Hirose sat in his office chair, looking outside his window at the bright sunny day on display for him. Takada was standing behind him, a serious look on the face of the vice principal. "Well?" Hirose asked, his gaze not turning from the window. "What is it?"

"It's about Yuga." Takada admitted.

"Figures." Hirose said, closing his eyes and turning around to face Takada, opening his eyes to look at his higher up. "Let me guess? The constant detentions are getting to be too much."

"No." Takada said, before clearing his throat. "Well, maybe." Hirose rose an eyebrow, so Takada explained. "Yuga has a… ability, that I will just call his Dark Mode."

"Dark Mode?" Hirose asked.

"Yes." Takada nodded. "He triggered this transformation when summoning a monster known as Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon. His eyes took on the coloration of his Odd-Eyes Dragons, and he was surrounded by a dark aura of energy. In this form, according to his friends, his anger was intense, and his logical thinking was gone. He became a human that acted on anger alone, and I fear that he will be unable to control this form should it happen again."

"And what does this have to do with me?" Hirose asked, staring at Takada.

"It is no secret to that staff and students that you and Yuga do not get along." Takada stated. "I come here not to get you to back off, but give you a warning. Should the transformation ever trigger, you need to be careful."

"Why?" Hirose asked, grinning as he closed his eyes again, almost as if imagining him and Yuga dueling. "Do you think he could defeat me in a duel?"

"I-I didn't say that…" Takada stumbled, clearing his throat again. "It's about the Masked Man. Yuga's sense of logic disappears in that state, and should his dislike of you manifest in the wrong way…"

"He could come after me." Hirose finished, his eyes snapping open. He stood up, walking towards the window and looking out at it. "Do I have your permission to disable him should that time arise?"

Takada thought for a few moments, before sighing in pity. "Do what you need to calm him down… then report the incident to me immediately."

XxXxX End Flashback XxXxX

"Hirose!" Yuga shouted, pointing at him. "The game is up!"

"Game?" Hirose asked, staring at Yuga, analyzing his every move. "To what are you referring to?"

"You know damn well what I am talking about!" Yuga hissed, stepping into his office. "You're the Masked Man!"

"The Masked Man you say?" Hirose asked. "The man who broke into Union and stole information regarding the Wicked Gods beneath this very school? Preposterous! To jump to such a conclusion with no solid evidence!"

"I know it's you!" Yuga roared, his aura flaring, almost looking like a dragon for a brief moment. "Masuhiro says the Masked Man is a teacher at Union, and you fit his description perfectly!"

"Is this because of your dislike towards me?" Hirose asked calmly, staring at Yuga, unmoving. "Your bottled up issue with strict adults manifesting its way into making me the bad guy due to a vague hint toward to you by another student?"

"Masuhiro was your top Shadow Duelist!" Yuga hissed, which actually got a reaction from Hirose, which Yuga noticed. "Don't act so surprised! You've had him in your twisted grip for months!"

"You foolish boy!" Hirose growled, losing his temper slowly. "You break down my office door, accusing me of foul without even so much as a logical thought in your head! You didn't even stop to think that what you were told was a lie, did you?"

"It's not a lie!" Yuga snapped back. "I know the truth, and I am here to take you down… in a Shadow Duel!"

Hirose glared at Yuga for a few moments before opening his drawer and pulling out a black duel pad, snapping it on arm and activating a purple blade. He then stepped to his right, walking out from behind his desk and standing on the side of the room, watching at Yuga activated his own duel pad and took his place on the other side of the room. "I see that the only way to get through that thick skull of yours is to duel you… very well, I shall. But know this, Yuga, once I defeat you… you WILL be punished!"

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Hirose: 4000

"It's time to teach you some respect." Hirose stated, looking at the five cards in his hand. "And what better way to start then you show you that acting all high and mighty just because you can Pendulum Summon doesn't make you a good duelist. I, using the Scale 1 Metalfoes Goldriver and the Scale 8 Metalfoes Steelen, set the Pendulum Scale!" In the light blue columns of light, a muscular man riding a golden kart like vehicle and a blue haired chick wearing a black and red biker outfit, riding on a red bike, rose into the air, lighting up the office.

"What?" Yuga gasped, stunned. "You're a Pendulum Summoner?"

"If you paid attention in class, you would know this!" Hirose declared. "And I am sure I don't need to tell you that I now can Pendulum Summon monsters simultaneously between Levels 2 and 7. Now, I Pendulum Summon! Come forth, Level 3 Metalfoes Silverd (1700/100) and my Level 7 Metalfoes Volflame (2400/2000)!" Metalfoes Silverd appeared first, revealing a purple haired girl riding on a silver bird looking jet. Metalfoes Volflame appeared next, as a blonde dude riding in a red tank like vehicle.

"Your monsters are all normal monsters." Yuga pointed out, looking at the monsters on the field. "And any of my dragons can easily destroy them."

"Don't be a fool." Hirose scolded. "You forget my specialty. I activate the spell card, Metalfoes Fusion, to fuse together my Metalfoes Silverd and my Metalfoes Volflame! Jet of silver, tank of volcanic rock, combine now and unleash a power never seen before! Fusion Summon! Appear now, Level 8, Metalfoes Orichalc (2800/2200)!"

Yuga growled a bit. "A first turn Fusion Summon…"

"Correct, and I'm still not done with my turn. I activate the effect of the Metalfoes Fusion card in my graveyard. I can now shuffle it back into my deck, and draw one card." Hirose looked at the card for a moment before placing it in his spell and trap zone. "I place a card facedown and end my turn."

 _Ok, I need to be careful here._ Yuga thought to himself. _I am dueling a very dangerous opponent, and I can't afford to let my guard down even for a second. He may have taken me by surprise with Pendulum Summoning, but I can't let that get to me… after all, I can Pendulum Summon as well!_

"It's my turn!" Yuga announced, drawing a card. "I activate Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards!" Yuga looked at the two cards, then smirked. "I, using the Scale 2 Dragoncaller Magician, and the Scale 8 Tune Magician, set the Pendulum Scale! This allows me to Pendulum Summon monsters simultaneously between Levels 3 and 7! Now I Pendulum Summon, my four monsters! Level 7, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (2500/2000)! Level 7, my second Dragoncaller Magician (2400/1000)! Level 7, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500/2000)! And finally, Level 6, Oafdragon Magician (2100/1400)!"

"Impressive, but not enough." Hirose stated.

"I'm aware of that." Yuga growled. "Now I activate the special effect of my Dragoncaller Magician in my Monster Zone! She can change herself to a Dragon-type. Now I overlay my Level 7 Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and my Level 7 Dragoncaller Magician! Duel-eyed phantom dragon, magician of dragon's blood, combine your powers into one fearsome beast! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 7! Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon (3000/2500)! Next, I activate the spell card Odd-Eyes Fusion, which allows me to fuse my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and my Oafdragon Magician! Mighty duel-eyed dragon, spell caster of untold power, combine your strength into a new mighty dragon! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (3000/2500)!"

"I must admit, I am impressed." Hirose stated. "You've managed to not only Xyz Summon on the first turn, but Fusion Summon as well… now the question is, what was the point of your summons?"

"To take you out this turn!" Yuga declared. "Because Dragoncaller Magician was used as Xyz Material, my Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon double's his original attack points when battling a Dragon-Type monster!"

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but my Metalfoes monsters are all Psychic-Type." Hirose stated.

"I activate the Pendulum Effect of the Dragoncaller Magician in my Pendulum Zone!" Yuga declared. "Once per turn, one face up monster on the field becomes Dragon-Type, and I choose your Metalfoes Orichalc! Furthermore, it's about time I introduce you to the Pendulum Effect of my Tune Magician. When she is in my Pendulum Zone, all monsters I control gain 100 attack and defense points for each faceup Pendulum Monster I have in my Extra Deck, and thanks to my Fusion Summon, I have two (Rune-Eyes: 3000/2500 - 3200/2700; Odd-Eyes Rebellion: 3000/2500 - 3200/2700)! Now, I attack your Metalfoes Orichalc with my Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon, and since he is now Dragon-Type, Odd-Eyes Rebellion gains 3000 attack points for this battle (Odd-Eyes Rebellion: 3200/2700 - 6200/2700)!"

"Trap activate, Negate Attack!" Hirose declared. "The battle is instantly canceled, and your battle phase ends on the spot."

"Odd-Eyes Rebellion's attack decreases (Odd-Eyes Rebellion: 6200/2700 - 3200/2700)." Yuga hissed. "And I end my turn."

"Foolish, rushing into combat like that." Hirose stated, drawing a card. "I activate the spell card, Pot of Greed, which lets me draw twice. Next, I activate the spell card, Pendulum Fusion!"

"Pendulum Fusion!?" Yuga gasped.

"Yes, it is a card that allows me to fuse monsters that are in my Pendulum Zone together." Hirose stated. "I now fuse the Metalfoes Goldriver and the Metalfoes Stellen in my Pendulum Zones! Almighty alchemist, come forth and show the world the true power of chemistry! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 1, Fullmetalfoes Alkahest (0/0)!"

Yuga grinned smugly. "A 0-attack point monster that's level 1? Come on teach."

"Foolish boy." Hirose said, his eyes closed. Yuga looked confused, as Hirose's eyes snapped open, him glaring across the field. "You showed much promise as well, but I can see now I was wrong about you. You underestimate my deck's true power, and for that you will fall before me. I end my turn."

"I'll draw!" Yuga stated. "I activate the Pendulum Effect of Dragoncaller Magician once again, this time turning your Fullmetalfoes Alkahest into a Dragon-Type. Now, Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon, attack his Fullmetalfoes Alkahest (Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon: 3200/2700 - 6200/2700)!"

"I activate the effect of my Fullmetalfoes Alkahest!" Hirose declared. "Since this is a Quick Play effect, I can do this at any time! During your turn, I can equip one of your monsters onto my Fullmetalfoes Alkahest, and I choose your Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!"

"No!" Yuga shouted, as Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon suddenly transformed into a ball of light, and was absorbed into the staff of Fullmetalfoes Alkahest.

"Furthermore, my Fullmetalfoes Alkahest gains defense points equal to the combined original attack points of all monsters equipped to him, which in this case is 3000 (Fullmetalfoes Alkahest: 0/0 - 0/3000)."

Yuga growled. _He put that monster in attack mode to bait me into attacking it!_ "But I still got my Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and your monster is still stuck in attack mode! Additionally, since he was fused using a Level 5 or higher Spellcaster, he can attack three monsters! Now for his first attack! Rune-Eyes, attack his Fullmetalfoes Alkahest!"

"Quick Play Spell Card, Book of Moon!" Hirose declared, activating his card from his hand. "Your Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon is instantly flipped into facedown defense mode!" Rune-Eyes roared out, facing as a facedown sideways card appeared in his place.

Yuga hissed a little, looking at his hand. "I end my turn." _How could I be so careless?_

XxXxXxX

The cave leading down to the sealed door was dripping slightly as the rain in the world above poured down, a muck feeling present in the very air of the cave they were treading down, each one of them taking careful steps as their shoes constantly ended up in puddles of water.

"I hope Yuga is doing ok…" Shin muttered.

"We can't focus on that right now." Roku stated, looking at Shin sadly before looking ahead at his sister. "We need to focus on apprehending the real Masked Man."

"Aren't you guys the least bit worried about him?" Shin asked, in a pleading voice.

"Sure we are." Asami muttered.

"I'm not." Vince huffed.

"We ALL are!" Naomi glared at Vince, before looking sadly at Ruka. "But we need to focus, right Ruka?"

The girl in question nodded, but didn't turn her head as she read the way, blinking back tears before a stern look etched itself on her face. _You better not get your ass expelled, Yuga…_

"Here we are." Roku muttered, stepping forward and pushing on the wall that looked solid, but it slid to the side, revealing the room containing the sealed door. Ruka stepped forward first, looking around in the darkness, as this time the ever burning torches weren't lit.

"How's the seal?" Naomi asked, despite not wanting to hear the answer.

"Incredibly weak." Ruka muttered, looking at the door. "Almost as if…"

"It will break at any moment." The torches all caught fire at once, and Ruka turned on her heal to face the Masked Man, who appeared as it from nowhere. "Amazing, isn't it? How one simple spell could fade with time, and each second that passes, the door only grows weaker and weaker. I could wait out the clock… but that wouldn't be fun, now would it?" He began walking, approaching the sealed door and stopping just in front of it. "Fascinating, how seven little brats could give my six elites so much trouble… Aku and Vader were the most disappointing, but they got their punishment… they are being swallowed by the shadows, never to return."

"You're a monster!" Asami yelled at him, glaring.

"Silence yourself, girl." The Masked Man coldly commanded, turning to face Ruka. "I have no beef with you… I am merely here to claim the seal, and to finish what I started that October night so many moons ago."

"Even if you do defeat me, which you won't, Yuga would wipe the floor with you!" Ruka declared, glaring at him.

"Yuga?" The Masked Man asked, laughing. "If everything is going according to plan, by the time he realizes his mistake and comes to challenge me, the Wicked Gods will be free and I will be their master. But enough talk, it is time for some action… Action Field activate, Graveyard of the Damned!"

The arena around them transformed into a graveyard looking setting, with various gravestones emerging from the ground. The sealed door itself became what looked like a gravestone, and various grey platforms emerged in the sky for them to jump on.

"Action… Duel!"

Ruka: 4000 vs Masked Man: 4000

"I'll start!" Ruka declared. "I play the field spell card Aroma Garden!" The field around them still looked like a graveyard, but a weird combination of Ruka's flower field emerged, with graves sticking out of it. "If I control an 'Aroma' monster, I can gain 500 life points once per turn. Additionally, when I use this effect, all monsters I control instantly gain 500 attack and defense points until the end of your next turn! Furthermore, if any 'Aroma' monster I control is destroyed by battle or card effect, I gain 1000 life points."

"Ruka's signature card!" Asami shouted in glee.

"The Masked Man is in trouble now!" Shin cheered.

"I'm far from done." Ruka stated. "I activate my Double Summon spell card! Instead of performing one summon this turn, I get to perform two! Now I summon, my Aromage Rosemary (1800/700) and my Aromaseraphy Angelica (0/0)! Since Angelica is a tuner, I can now tune my Level 4 Aromage Rosemary to my Level 1 Aromaseraphy Angelica! Rosemary fills the air, and the gates to the garden open. The garden fairy blossoms into life! Synchro Summon! Level 5, Aromaseraphy Rosemary (2000/900)!"

"Impressive enough." The Masked Man stated. "But it will take more than that to defeat me."

"Then try this!" Ruka shouted. "Since my Synchro Monster is a 'Aroma' monster, I can activate Aroma Garden's effect, gaining 500 life points and increasing my monster's attack power (Ruka: 4000 - 4500; Aromaseraphy Rosemary: 2000/900 - 2500/1400). And now the special effect of my Aromaseraphy Rosemary activates. Whenever my life points are higher than my opponents, all Plant-type monsters I control gain 500 attack and defense points, including her (Aromaseraphy Rosemary: 2500/1400 - 3000/1900)! Now I place one card facedown, and end my turn."

"Not bad." The Masked Man phrased, drawing a card. "But you can do better. I'll summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 4 in attack mode (1600/1000)!"

"Still using Himura's stolen deck, huh?" Ruka asked.

"I find myself attached to it." The Masked Man stated. "Now I activate the spell card Level Up! When I control a face-up 'Lv' monster, I can send it to my graveyard to special summon from my hand or deck a 'Lv' monster that is higher level than the monster I have out now. So I sacrifice my Level 4 Horus, to summon from my deck, Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 6 (2300/1600)!"

"His monster still has less attack points then Ruka's." Shin noticed. "So what is his plan?"

"I now activate the spell card, The Shallow Grave." The Masked Man stated. "Both of us select one monster from our graveyard and special summon it to the field in face-down defense mode. Even though he's facedown, you already know my monster." A card appeared sideways on the Masked Man's field, which Ruka knew was Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 4. Ruka nodded, placing a card from her graveyard face down in defense mode. "Now I strike! Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 6, destroy her monster!"

"Trap activate, Negate Attack!" Ruka declared. "Your attack is automatically canceled, and the battle phase ends… huh?" Ruka blinked in surprise. The Masked Man was suddenly gone.

"Action Magic, Reckless Attack!" The Masked Man shouted from above her. Ruka gasped, seeing him suddenly on one of the glowing grey platforms. "By sacrificing one monster, I can attack again and continue the battle phase! I sacrifice my facedown Hours the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 4 so my evolved monster can attack! Attack again, Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 6!"

Ruka dashed forward, grabbing an Action Card from the ground. "Action Magic, revival! When a monster I control is destroyed by battle, it is revived in defense mode at the end of your bathe phase!" The facedown defense monster was attacked, and flipped over to reveal itself as Aromaserphy Angelica. "Furthermore, since you destroyed an 'Aroma' monster, I gain 1000 life points (Ruka: 4500 - 5500)!"

"Alright, Ruka, way to play!" Asami shouted.

"Yes, Ruka not only gained life points, but she also can Synchro Summon next turn if she summons the right monster." Namoi stated.

"That's my girl!" Vince shouted.

"Your girl is in for a nasty surprise." The Masked Man stated. "I place one card facedown, so your Aromaseraphy Angelica comes back..." The monster appeared on Ruka's side of the field in defense mode. "…but as I end my turn, something else happens, the special effect of my Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 6! On the turn he destroys a monster by battle, he is sacrificed to being forth my ultimate 'Lv' monster! Come forth, Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 8 (3000/1800)!" Horus suddenly grew in size, roaring out and staring down at Ruka's two monsters, wondering which one to devour first. "Farther more your monster's attack power decreases back to 2500 (Aromaseraphy Rosemary: 3000/1900 - 2500/1400), so it's over for you!"

To Be Continued…

* * *

 **Alright, so Arc-V is ending soon, but the way it is ending seems... bleh, to me. Does anyone else feel the same way? I felt like a good 10-15 episodes were left after 147, but nope 148 is it! I don't know how they are going to conclude everything they need to conclude in 20 minutes, but best of luck to them!**


	29. The Gathering of Darkness part 2

**Before we begin this chapter, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed Chapter 28 as normal, so a big thank you to: FurySong, D3lph0xL0v3r, pokemonking0924, Draen, Rashiq484 and king of the lion.**

 **Now, on a more stern note, I need to address two Guest reviewers. Their reviews aren't posted, and there is a reason. First, one guest reviewer commented on Yuga's name, assuming that the name translates to Feces, which is incorrect. The name Yuga comes from Hinduism theology, and means an age of time. I just liked the sound of the name, and it fit in with the traditional 'Yu' names of past YuGiOh Protagonists. Hell, the name Yuga is even on a Monster Card! Seriously, look it up, it's D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga. Besides, he didn't specify the language, but the Japanese word for feces is actually 'Unchi' (according to what I found on the internet).**

 **Second Guest Review was an OC submission. I think I made it perfectly clear in Chapter 12, where I began taking submissions for OCs, that guests weren't allowed to submit OCs, and that was because OCs needed to be PMed, not placed in a review, so I can talk to authors about their OCs. In addition to that, the OC Submission thing was over a LONG time ago, and I even say in Chapter 12 that the deadline was April of 2016. This review was submitted for guest moderation on March 24th, 2017. Please note that the OC Submission thing is over and that I got way more then enough OCs to work with for the next arc.**

 **Now after those mini rants, onto Chapter 29. If you guys wanna see my reaction to the final episode of YuGiOh Arc-V, you can check it out in the Author's Note at the bottom of the Chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Duel in Progress… Yuga: 4000 vs Hirose: 4000

Hirose drew from his deck. "It's my turn now, Yuga. I activate the Spell Card, Cup of Ace. With a simple coin toss, I can choose which one of us draws cards. If it is heads, I draw two cards, and if it is tails, you draw two cards." Hirose took a coin out of his pocket as he explained this, flipping it into the air, catching it, then placing it on top of his right hand. When he moved his hand, it showed heads. "I now draw two cards. Next, I attack you with my Metalfoes Orichalc! His effect is whenever he attacks a monster in defense mode, he inflicts double piercing damage!" Orichalc charged forward, slicing through the card with his axe like hands. Rune-Eyes was revealed, roaring in pain before vanishing (Yuga: 4000 - 3800). "Now I activate the Quick Play Spell Card, Fullmetalfoes Fusion! Since your Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon is attached to my Fullmetalfoes Alkahest, I can use him in fusion!"

"You can what?" Yuga asked, shocked.

"Fuse him. The requirements for this fusion's material are 1 Metalfoes monster, plus 2 additional monsters each with 3000 or less attack, and since your Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon fits that description, I can fuse your Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon with my Fullmetalfoes Alkahest, and the Raremetalfoes Bismugear in my hand!" Hirose declared. "Crimson warrior of alchemy, accept my offering and descend onto this battle! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 9, Metalfoes Crimsonite (3000/3000)!"

"3000 attack points!?" Yuga gasped in shock.

"That isn't the least of your concerns, Yuga!" Hirose shouted. "Since I activated a Quick Play Spell during my battle phase, I am still in it, so my new monster can attack! Attack him directly, Metalfoes Crimsonite!" The new monster charged, holding out his hand and shooting a steam of fire, which surrounded Yuga. The boy gasped, letting out a sharp yell of pain before falling to his knees, panting (3800 - 800). "Do you see now your duel with me is futile?"

"See what?" Yuga hissed, standing up. "You're the Masked Man! I have to defeat you to end this charade and stop the Wicked Gods from getting out!"

"Listen to yourself!" Hirose snapped. "You come here accusing me of falsehood, and speaking lies based on a hint you were given by a Shadow Duelist! You refuse to look past your distaste of me and just choose to immediately think of me as the bad guy! You didn't even stop to think for one second about the hint being wrong to distract you, while your friend Ruka loses her seal to the real Masked Man!"

Yuga gasped, widening his eyes. _Is that true? Was this all just a plan to get me distracted so the real Masked Man can take Ruka's seal, weakening the door enough to unleash the Wicked Gods?_

"The Masked Man fears you more than the other seal defenders, and for good reason." Hirose explained. "Your potential as a duelist is unlike any other duelist we have ever seen at Union. He fears that potential, and doesn't want to face you directly unless he has the Wicked Gods on his side. I have seen that potential myself…" Hirose walked over to his desk, flipping through both stacks, pulling some sheets stapled together out of each pile. He then held them up. "and your performance as a student backs that up, when you are pushed by a strict teacher, that is."

Yuga looked at the papers, and couldn't hold back his surprise. Hirose was holding up his Fusion Final Test, and his Fusion Essay, both of them having a big fat red 'A' on the front of them. _I… I aced the test and paper?_

"You impressed me enough to have a chance at earning the prize card." Hirose continued, putting Yuga's papers back on their respective piles and walking back to his spot in the duel. "But it seems you still need a lesson… a lesson in respect, and a lesson in getting past that thick headedness of yours! Get ready, Yuga! Because I am going to teach you that lesson that hard way… defeating you in a duel!"

Yuga sighed, closing his eyes. _I am a fool… I didn't like Hirose because of his strict attitude, and I thought for sure that made him evil, and the best candidate at being the Masked Man… Masuhiro knew this, and that hint about the Masked Man being a teacher at Union was only to get me distracted… Ruka is probably fighting the Masked Man now… and I'm standing here in a pointless duel, while Ruka could be losing to the Masked Man… or worse, her seal is already gone!_ Yuga opened his eyes, his dark aura fading instantly as his golden eyes returned. "I…"

"Don't even think about surrendering." Hirose snarled.

"But…" Yuga was about to plead.

"I'm sure Ruka is more than capable of holding her own." Hirose explained. "Besides, you challenged me to a Shadow Duel, did you not? I accepted, which means if you forfeit or lose to me, I take your seal, and while I defiantly think I could defeat the Masked Man, I am sure you would rather keep your seal, just in case, no?"

 _He's right._ Yuga thought, biting his lip. _In my haste, thinking Hirose was the Masked Man, I challenged him to the same duel that the Shadow Duelists used… I didn't realize that upon doing so, I automatically put my seal up for forfeit…_ "Then sorry, teach, but I have to defeat you. Principal Mondo said I can't lose any Shadow Duel, and I intend to keep that promise."

"Then show me your resolve." Hirose nodded. "But don't cry when I beat you, take your seal, and go after the Masked Man myself."

XxXxXxX

Duel in Progress… Ruka: 5500 vs Masked Man: 4000

"It's over for you, little girl." The Masked Man declared. "With my Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 8 on my side of the field and my facedown card, you are finished. Your monsters don't hold a candle to mine, so admit defeat!"

"Get real." Ruka stated. "I won't lose to you! My turn!" Ruka drew a card, looked at it for a moment before putting it into her hand. "I activate my Aroma Garden field spell!"

"Sorry, but that won't happen." The Masked Man declared. "My Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV. 8's special effect now activates! Whenever a spell card is activated at anytime, with Horus' power I can not only negate that card's activation, but destroy it. Goodbye, Aroma Garden!" The field spell suddenly vanished, the dark, shadowed landscape returning, and Ruka's eyes went wide as the card was placed in the graveyard on her screen.

"Oh no!" Asami gasped. "That was Ruka's best card!"

"Your monsters can no longer gain attack points." The Masked Man stated. "With my Horus the Black Flame Dragon on the field, you can't use spells, even Action Magic is sealed to you! You cannot win!"

"That's what you think!" Ruka declared. "When you destroy a magic card on my side of the field, I can activate this Trap Card from my hand, Cards of Silence! When my life points are higher than yours, I can decrease them down to the same level as yours are at (Ruka: 5500 - 4000), and for each 500 life point decrease, I draw one card!"

"The attack points of her Aromaseraphy Rosemary go back to their original value (Aromaseraphy Rosemary: 2500/1400 - 2000/900), but if she gets the right cards, it will be worth the sacrifice." Roku stated.

"Come on, Ruka!" Asami cheered.

Ruka drew three cards, looked at them for a few moments, before looking up at the Masked Man with a smirk. "I summon my Abyss Flower (750/400)! Now I tune my Level 5 Aromaseraphy Rosemary and my Level 2 Abyss Flower to my Level 1 Aromaseraphy Angelica!"

"What is she Synchro Summoning?" Shin asked.

Roku blinked, then realized what she was going for and smiled. "It's been a long time since she has summoned him."

"Him?" Everyone asked.

"Watch." Roku stated.

"Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Level 8, Stardust Dragon (2500/2000)!" Ruka chanted.

"I-I"ve never seen that monster before." Naomi gasped.

"Ruka's secret weapon." Roku smirked. "She's going for broke it seems."

"I activate the spell card, Premature Burial!" Ruka declared. "By paying 800 life points, I can special summon a monster from my graveyard!"

"I hate to remind you of this, but my Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 8 doesn't allow this." The Masked Man stated. "Because of his special effect, your spell card is negated and destroyed."

"Stardust Dragon's special effect activates!" Ruka declared. "Because you activated an effect that would destroy a card, Stardust Dragon can tribute itself to negate your effect's activation and destroy the card that used that effect. Stardust Dragon, destroy his Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 8!"

"What!?" The Masked Man screamed in surprise. Stardust Dragon flew forward, latching onto Horus, and both dragons disappeared in a shower of stardust.

"The effect of Premature Burial continues!" Ruka declared. "I sacrifice 800 life points (Ruka: 4000 - 3200) to special summon Aromaseraphy Rosemary from my graveyard!" Aromaseraphy Rosemary came back, glaring down at the Masked Man. "Attack him directly, Rosemary!" Rosemary flew down and struck the Masked Man with her staff, chipping his mask a little thanks to the Solid Vision. The Masked Man grunted a bit in pain, glaring at Ruka through the mask (Masked Man: 4000 - 2000). "Because my life points are now higher than yours, Aromaseraphy Rosemary gains 500 attack and defense points due to her effect (Aromaseraphy Rosemary: 2000/900 - 2500/1400). Now, I activate the trap card, Humid Winds! Thanks to this card, I can add one 'Aroma' monster from my deck to my hand by paying 1000 life points (Ruka: 3200 - 2200). I'll end my turn there, and now Stardust Dragon's effect activates from my graveyard. Because he was tributed via his own effect, he special summons himself from the graveyard!" Stardust Dragon returned, roaring.

"Yes, way to play, Ruka!" Asami cheered.

"Ruka's got a nice 200 point lead, and two monsters on the field with 2500 attack points each!" Shin noted.

"Careful." Roku muttered. "We can't celebrate yet."

XxXxXxX

Yuga sighed. _Alright, I need something good here…_ "I draw!" Yuga declared, suddenly hearing an Odd-Eyes roar. _This is…_ He looked around, seeing himself standing in the sky. He looked forward, seeing what looked like an ancient stone table spinning around inside of a tornado, what looked like an Odd-Eyes dragon etched onto the tablet. Yuga blinked, and appeared back in Hirose's office, knowing at once what he needed to do. "I activate the spell card Odd-Eyes Fusion from my hand!"

"You only have one fusion monster." Hirose stated, but then he blinked in surprise. "Unless…"

Yuga nodded. "Odd-Eyes Fusion lets me use up to two Odd-Eyes monsters in my extra deck if you have two or more monsters on your side of the field. So, I'll use the face up Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon in my Extra Deck! Dragon of fearsome winds, destroy all who oppose you with tornados of absolute devastation! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon (2500/3000)!" A green Odd-Eyes appeared on the field, roaring and stretching his four wings. "I place him in defense mode, and since there is still one face up Pendulum Monster in my Extra Deck, Tune Magician's Pendulum effect increase his attack and defense both by 100 points (Odd-Eyes Vortex: 2500/3000 - 2600/3100)!"

"Impressive." Hirose nodded. "But what is your plan? I noticed you put the monster in defense mode, and with 3100 defense points, you can defiantly stall for time, since neither of my monsters can destroy yours. However, you need to attack to defeat me."

"But I don't need to attack to destroy one of your monsters right now!" Yuga declared, to Hirose's surprise. "When my Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon is special summoned, I can target one face up attack position monster your control, and return it to your hand… or in this case, your Extra Deck. I choose to return your Metalfoes Crimsonite to your Extra Deck!" Vortex Dragon roared, flapping his four wings, creating a gust of wind, which sent Crimsonite flying, before he vanished off the field. "All right, one down and one to go! I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Not bad, but you still aren't going to win." Hirose stated. "Your Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon cannot defeat my monster, and since he inflicts double piercing damage, depending on this next card, you are done." Hirose then drew his card, looked at it for a while, then played it. "I activate the spell card, Flaming Barbed Wire! All monsters you control are automatically forced into defense position, and their original defense becomes 0 until my End Phase. Since your Odd-Eyes Vortex is already in defense mode, it's mode doesn't change, but his defense now becomes 0. This is the end!"

"I activate the special effect of my Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon!" Yuga declared.

"What?" Hirose asked in shock. "He has a second effect?"

"Yup." Yuga nodded. "During either of our turns, when you activate a spell, trap, or monster effect, I can shuffle a face up Pendulum Monster in my Extra Deck back into my deck to negate that effect. I can only use it once per turn, but that's fine by me. So, I shuffle my Oafdragon Magician back into my Extra Deck to negate Flaming Barbed Wire. Now, since I don't have any Pendulum Monsters face up in my Extra Deck, Tune Magician's effect ends (Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon: 2600/3100 - 2500/3000)."

Hirose was stunned, but he regained himself and nodded. "Very well, I end my turn."

"During your End Phase, I activate my Trap Card!" Yuga declared. "Jar of Greed! Now I draw one card, and now it's my turn." Yuga looked at his deck. _Let this be what I need!_ Yuga then drew, and smiled at the card. "I use the pre-set Pendulum Scale to Pendulum Summon! Come forth, Level 4 Performapal Uni (800/1500), and Level 4 Dragonpulse Magician (1800/900)! Now, I overlay my two Level 4 monsters! Formed from pitch black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (2500/2000)!"

Hirose seemed to realize at once what Yuga was doing, and he smiled a little. "Well, that's that then, huh?"

"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's special effect!" Yuga declared. "By detaching both his overlay units, I can cut in half the attack of one of your monsters, and Dark Rebellion gains that attack! Dark Rebellion, weaken his Metalfoes Orichalc and gain its strength (Metalfoes Orichalc: 2800/2000 - 1400/2000; Dark Rebellion: 2500/2000 - 3900/2000)! Next, I switch Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon into attack mode!"

 _He is the second student to defeat me, but this time, it seems like the roles are reversed._ Hirose thought. _While Jirou hid his inner darkness, only to reveal it later and become a wicked individual, Yuga showed much outer darkness, but showed he can conquer it and shine his inner light when it counted most._

"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack his Metalfoes Orichalc!" Yuga commanded. Dark Rebellion charged, piercing Orichalc and causing it to explode (Hirose: 4000 - 1500). "Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon, attack him directly!" Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon unleashed a stream of wind, which Hirose braced himself against, holding his place as the attack enveloped him (Hirose: 1500 - 0).

Yuga Wins!

"So… no hard feelings?" Yuga sheepishly asked, looking down at Professor Hirose, who was kneeling. He didn't get a response, as Hirose stood up and walked towards the window, looking out it again. "Never mind, very hard feelings…"

"We can discuss what happened here later." Hirose sternly stated, looking out the window towards the center of campus. "Right now, we have more pressing issues at hand."

"Right." Yuga nodded, determination filling his face. "We need to interrupt the duel between Ruka and the Masked Man and…" But Yuga stopped speaking, his eyes going wide, as if sensing something occurring. "Oh no… the seal…"

Hirose sighed. "That is what I feared would happen…"

XxXxXxX

"It's my turn now." The Masked Man declared, drawing a card. "And don't think you have seen the last of my Horus dragon… in fact, he'll be back sooner than you think. I activate the spell card, Level Modulation! Thanks to this, I can special summon one 'Lv' monster from my graveyard, ignoring the summoning conditions. Come forth, Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 8!"

Ruka grit her teeth, glaring across the field. "I thought I was done with that creature."

"Sadly, you are far from done with him." The Masked Man taunted. "Horus, destroy her Stardust Dragon!" Horus roared, breathing in then unleashing a stream of black fire that incinerated Stardust Dragon (Ruka: 2200 - 1700; Aromaseraphy Rosemary: 2500/1400 - 2000/900). "I'll end my turn there."

"It's my turn then!" Ruka declared, drawing a card and bringing her hand total up to four. _I can't use spells, but I can still activate Humid Winds to gain life points!_ "I summon my Aromage Jasmine! And thanks to her special effect, I can now normal summon a second time this turn, so by sacrificing my Aromage Jasmine, I can summon my Aromage Bergamot (2400/1800)! Now I activate the effect of my Humid Winds trap card! Since my life points are lower than yours, I gain 500 life points (Ruka: 1700 - 2200)! Since my life points are higher than yours again, Rosemary's attack increases (Aromaseraphy Rosemary: 2000/900 - 2500/1400)! Furthermore, the special effect of my Aromage Bergamot activates! When I gain life points, her attack and defense increases by 1000 until the end of your next turn (Aromage Bergamot: 2400/1800 - 3400/2800)! Bergamot, attack his Horus the Black Flame Dragon now!"

"Activate trap, Draining Shield!" The Masked Man declared. "When a monster of yours declares an attack, I can negate the attack and gain life points equal to your monster's attack points."

Ruka ran forward before her attack could hit, grabbing an Action Card. "Action Magic, Trap Jam! Your trap is automatically negated and destroyed."

Suddenly, the Masked Man seemed to teleport again, because he was suddenly flying through the air past Ruka, having grabbed an Action Card. "Action Magic, No Action! When you activate an Action Card, the Action Card is automatically negated and destroyed. I believe that means your attack is canceled and I gain 3400 life points (Masked Man: 2000 - 5400). I believe now that you have less life points then me, your Aromaseraphy Rosemary's attack returns to normal (Aromaseraphy Rosemary: 2500/1400 - 2000/900).

"I don't need you to tell me that." Ruka glared. "I'll end my turn."

"My turn then." The Masked Man declared, drawing a card. He looked at it for a moment before laughing. "Finally, your fate is sealed with this… but first, I attack your Aromage Rosemary with my Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv. 8!"

Ruka rushed forward, grabbing an Action Card just before the attack hit. "Action Magic, Evasion! Your attack is automatically negated!" Ruka then realized that she acted on instant, and that the Masked Man was going to use Horus to cancel her Action Magic, however, he didn't speak as his attack was canceled.

"No matter." The Masked Man stated, holding up a card. "This is all I need. I place one card facedown and end my turn."

 _What card could that be? And why didn't he cancel my Action Magic card? Is he toying with me!?_ Ruka thought to herself, before drawing a card. "My turn! I activate my Humid Winds trap card!"

"Trap activate, Royal Decree!" The Masked Man declared. "All other trap cards on the field are automatically negated. So sorry, little girl, but you won't be recovering life points or using any more traps this duel."

"A lockdown." Roku stated. "Now Ruka can't use spells or traps. So he was just toying with her when he didn't use Horus's special effect of cancel the effect of Ruka's Action Magic…"

"But the Masked Man can't use traps either." Shin pointed out.

"It doesn't matter." Vince muttered. "He doesn't need them with the advantage he's got. Ruka needs a strong monster effect if she wants to win this."

Ruka looked at her hand, before playing a card. "I place a monster in facedown defense mode, and then switch my Aromaseraphy Rosemary and my Aromage Bergamot to defense mode. Your turn."

"Then it's my turn, and the final turn of this duel." The Masked Man drew a card, looked at it, then turned to Ruka. "Tell me something, little girl, if I know your deck well enough, that facedown card is your Aroma Jar, is it not?" The second he saw Ruka flinch, he chucked a little. "400 defense, but indestructible by battle when flipped face-up. Furthermore, you gain 500 life points during each and every end phase. Your plan is to stall for time while gaining study life points, while at the same time using your Aromage Bergamot's special effect to have a strong monster to deal with my Horus the Black Flame Dragon... Sadly, your plan is in vain, as you only have 2200 life points remaining. If I attack your monster in either mode, you will lose."

"But as long as Aroma Jar is in defense mode, he can't take any life points!" Vince shouted. "What is he getting at?"

"Unless he drew…" Roku muttered in shock.

"I activate the Spell Card, Fairy Meteor Crush!" The Masked Man declared. "By equipping this spell card to my Horus the Black Flame Dragon, he can inflict piercing damage whenever he attacks a monster in defense mode. When my 3000 attack point Horus attacks your 400 defense point jar, you will lose! Horus, attack her facedown monster and end this duel!" Horus breathed in some fire, as Ruka watched wide-eyed. She knew if she attempted to grab an Action Card, it would be in vain, as this time the Masked Man would use Horus's effect to cancel it. The attack collided with her facedown monster, which flipped itself over and revealed Armoa Jar. An explosion occurred, which caused Ruka to be sent flying back, screaming in fear as he flew through the air and landed some distance away (Ruka: 2200 - 0).

The Masked Man Wins!

"Finally." The Masked Man whispered, almost in a caressing way as Ruka's seal vanished from her hand, appearing on the door.

"Ruka!" Everyone screamed, running forward. Suddenly, light filled the room as the door began to open, the seal completely destroyed, too weak to hold back the power behind them. The light engulfed the entire room, blinding everyone inside. All that could be heard was the Masked Man's laughter, as though the light, dark smoke also emerged from the door, as the Masked Man walked inside, the light and darkness combined absorbing him.

XxXxXxX

"That light…" Hirose muttered, still looking out the window. Yuga snapped back to reality, having sensed the door open and the power contained inside unleashed. He looked outside with Hirose to see a giant column of light surrounding the entire center of campus, with dark smoke emerging from the light once in a while. "The door has been opened, and the Wicked Gods have emerged."

"Then… all is lost." Yuga sighed, falling to his knees. "It's my fault… I should have ignored Masuhiro's message and just stayed with Ruka and the others… maybe I could have defeated the Masked Man as he was, but with the Gods…"

"Don't count yourself out yet." Hirose stated, turning to look down at him. "You still have your seal, and if I remember what Takada told me about these events correctly, that means we still got one more chance to defeat the Masked Man."

"But he is using the Wicked Gods!" Yuga pointed out, his eyes wide in panic. "I can't beat that!"

Hirose paused for a moment, before walking over to his desk and opening another drawer, this time one that contained a single box. "You can…" Hirose then opened the box and held it out. "…with this."

Yuga stood up and took the card in the box, looking at it. "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon? This is…"

"The card that I was to give as a prize." Hirose stated. "Starving Venom's ability is powerful, and if my theory on the Wicked Gods is correct, that ability is the only way to combat the Wicked Gods."

"But I don't deserve this card." Yuga sadly said, looking at it.

"Regardless of deserving the card or not, you have to save the world." Hirose stated. "Starving Venom can assist with that, so use him! Additionally, take this card…" Hirose held out another card to Yuga as well. "I believe this will aid you."

Yuga looked at the card for a moment before nodding, taking it and placing it into his main deck. He then took Starving Venom and placed the card in his Extra Deck. At once, the four dragons seemed to roar together, rejoicing at all being together at last. Yuga looked up at Hirose, determination filling him as he smirked. "You coming?"

"I'll be right behind you." Hirose confirmed.

* * *

 **For those that don't wanna see my opinion on the final episode of YuGiOh Arc-V, thanks for reading, please leave a review if you so wish, and enjoy the rest of your day!  
**

 **Okay, time for some real talk here, and I'll try to keep this short. My reaction to the ending of YuGiOh Arc-V: First, may I just say there's a reason I don't write many Action Duels in this story, and it is because I don't want my characters becoming the Tomato (Yuya) and spamming them, and these past few duels only confirmed that in Arc-V. They're awesome, don't get me wrong, but I still have to find the perfect balance of showing their actual skill, while having Action Cards for use... Now, for my actual opinion on the ending: It's somewhat of a middle finger. There are so many loose ends that we are just left with, and I guess we have to accept 6 of the Yu-Boys and Bracelet Girls are just dead/fused forever? Poor Serena, Rin, Ruri, Yuto, Yugo and Yuri... like why is everyone okay with them just being gone forever, especially Shun, who traveled across Dimensions just to find his sister. Why is he suddenly okay with her being fused inside Yuzu forever? I swear, they rushed out Arc-V just to get to Vrains, when it needed like 10 more episodes at least to resolve the loose ends, and to unfuse Yuya and Yuzu to give everyone a happy ending, not just give Yuya and Yuzu their happy ending. Yuya's duel with Reiji should've waited till the end, and we could have had an awesome moment between the four Yu boys (each in their own bodies of course) where they told Yuya only he could make Reira smile, and each gave him their signature card so he could do so, and Yuri could finally be forgiven, cause he was only psycho because of Zarc, and have friends!**

 **Oh well, too late to change the past. I just hope Vrains is good, even if it looks like Link Monsters suck. We need an Odd-Eyes Chain Dragon, Link 3, with each of the arrows at the bottom of the card. I'd accept Links if not only Odd-Eyes got support, but past decks got their own Link Monsters as well.**


	30. Decent into Darkness

**So yeah, if you guys follow my author page instead of just my YuGiOh Story for alerts, you guys might have realized that I have began uploading a Pokemon Story. So my writing style in that story is drastically improved form this one, with me using proper dialog grammar in that story that I don't do in this one (mostly because I just learned about that). The thing is, I also don't use the** **proper dialog grammar in this chapter, as well as the next two chapters of this story. This is because they were already written, so I apologize to the grammar nazis out there.**

 **On another note, check out my Pokemon Story if you guys like Pokemon!**

 **Thanks to FurySong, pokemonking0924, D3lph0xL0v3r, and Draen for reviewing Chapter 29. Additionally, an extra big thanks to new reader Umbruhon for reviewing quite a few chapters, including 29!**

 **Quite side note, this is the third to last chapter of this story. Don't worry, Yuga's story is not over, and we will be continuing his next year in a sequel story. If you guys enjoy this story, and haven't followed me yet, you might want to when this story ends just so you can see when the sequel story is posted. For now, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Ruka groaned, rubbing the top of her head as she awoke from getting knocked unconscious. She felt two pairs of hands grab her as her eyes adjusted to having been blinded by the light from the sealed door breaking, to see Roku and Vince helping her up. The longer her eyes remained open, the more she could see. They were now standing outside in the center of campus, inside of a giant crater that had formed as if from nowhere. The power of the seal breaking was so strong, the cave collapsed, and somehow she and her friends were spared, now standing in the center of campus on top of the ground that fell into the cave now below them.

"Are you ok?" Roku asked, looking at his sister worried.

Ruka didn't know how to answer him. She had failed the entire world by losing her duel with the Masked Man, and just like this rubble crater she was standing in, the world would eventually fall as well.

"Ruka!" A familiar voice shouted. She looked up to see Yuga and Hirose standing on the crater's edge, looking down at her. Ruka felt the tears finally begin to fall, as she climbed her way out of the rubble with the others, and upon reaching the top flung her arms around Yuga, sobbing into his chest.

"I tired, Yuga! I tried! But I couldn't beat him!" Ruka cried, her voice shaking.

"It's ok, Ruka." Yuga comforted her, patting her head. "I still got my seal… we haven't lost hope yet."

"But now the Masked Man is in possession of the Wicked Gods, and not Himura's deck." Roku warned him.

 _Himura's deck…_ Yuga thought, looking up. A cloud of black smoke blended into the grey clouds above them, no longer pouring rain down from the heavens, but hovering in the air, the occasional lightning flash and wave of thunder echoing down.

"The Masked Man must be in that smoke cloud." Hirose stated, looking up as well. "Be on your guard and don't get cocky just because you beat me..."

"Yuga did WHAT!?" Shin and the others shouted in surprise, staring stunned at Yuga, who was just staring at the cloud of smoke, his thoughts racing.

"What in blazes is happening out here?" A voice shouted. Everyone turned to see Jin and Toma running towards them, both of them having a mixture of anger and pure confusion on their faces. "It is past the dueling curfew! Hirose, what have these students been up to?"

"Defending our school from the wrath of an evil psychopath bent on taking the Wicked Gods." Hirose simply said. Toma gasped, while Jin groaned. Hirose turned back to the smoke cloud. "Of course, it is too late now…"

"He actually succeeded!?" Toma gasped, almost fainting if Vince didn't catch her. "Oh, we're doomed."

"Not yet…" Hirose stated, looking at Yuga. "We still have hope."

Yuga nodded, but he suddenly realized they weren't alone. As time passed, more and more students seemed to appear, most of them wearing pajamas, looking up at the smoke cloud and to Yuga and the others, confusion and wonder on their faces. Yuga eventually felt a sharp wind blow, and looked up to see the smoke cloud had disappeared, revealing the Masked Man, who seemed to be standing on a black platform created from darkness, his brown trench coat having turned a pure black color, and his mask chipped and cracked in multiple places. A yellow glow emitted from the eyeholes on the mask, his eyes now glowing yellow in color.

"So, the final seal defender has arrived at last." He calmly said, staring down at Yuga, the corner of his mouth which was now visible, grinning in anticipation. "But he is too late, for I already have my prize!" The dark platform he was standing on sank a little, so he was now hovering about 30 feet from the ground, just over the crater.

"Teach!" A voice pierced the darkness. The Masked Man frowned, turning to look over his shoulder, seeing Masuhiro standing there, panting. "So, you did it, huh? Now… now I get what you promised me, huh? I can graduate-"

"Fool!" The Masked Man roared, and suddenly a dark tentacle erupted from the ground, choking Masuhiro, who gagged, his eyes wide. "You failed me! You didn't deliver me Yuga's seal like I asked you to! Now you shall pay for your insolence!"

"Leave him alone!" Another voice shouted, and all of the sudden out of nowhere came Tamiko and her mother, who pulled Masuhiro from the grasp of the tentacle, glaring up at the Masked Man in a mixture of forced bravery and extreme fear.

"Ah, the failed mother and her ignorant daughter." The Masked Man said in interest, looking at them as well. "Come to finally receive your punishments for failing me? You three will make great morsels for the darkness." Masuhiro, Tamiko and Hotaru flinched, the bravery that they forced themselves to have fading fast.

"If you want to get to them, you'll have to defeat me first!" Yuga shouted up at him. The Masked Man turned, staring at Yuga, once again grinning.

"So, you want to be the first to experience my newfound power?" The Masked Man cooed in excitement. "Very well, your wish shall be granted, Yuga Suzuki."

"I think there is something that is need to be done first..." Yuga declared. "Now, why don't you cut the act and finally reveal who you really are to us. I already know you are on staff here, so it's just a matter of figuring out which teacher you are."

"Um, Yuga…" Ruka muttered, looking at him sadly. "That was a lie by Masuhiro, to get Yuga to go after you…"

"That's what I thought to, until me and Hirose talked it over on the way here." Yuga stated, turning to Masuhrio. "From what we just heard, Masuhiro only served the Shadow Duelists to get a free pass to graduate from the school, am I right?" Masuhiro nodded, too scared to talk, so Yuga continued. "That could only come from two methods, a staff member at this school, or an extremely good hacker. We already know the Masked Man cannot hack THAT well, since he needed to be at the school to retrieve the information he needed to the sealed door beneath our school, leaving only the former to be true."

"What's your point?" The Masked Man asked, glaring.

"I mean the point is, you can stop the games, because I know it's you under there…" Yuga grinned, pointing at him, "Professor Himura!"

Silence filled the air, as everyone looked from Yuga to the Masked Man, who's smile had faded, and now was looking at Yuga with interest. Finally, amidst the silence, it was Shin who spoke. "Yuga, Himura had his deck taken by the Masked Man, remember? He went after the Masked Man months ago..."

"That is what he wanted us to think." Yuga stated. "But why didn't Himura return to the school when the Masked Man began his assault here? Wouldn't it make sense for Himura to stop his search, to come back here and help us fight the Shadow Duelists, if their leader was somewhere around here, just waiting for the seal to break? But Himura couldn't appear when that happened, because he's been here the entire time as the Masked Man!"

More silence filled the air, only to be broken by chuckling. The Masked Man's chuckles turned into laugher, as he flung his head back as he laughed, the laughter fading away as he looked at Yuga, a twisted grin on his face. "Who would have thought that out of everyone here, it would be the dumb one to finally figure it all out, huh, Yuga?"

The Masked Man pulled off the cracked mask, letting it fall to the ground, the microphone that was used to modify his voice revealed to everyone as the masked smashed on the ground. Himura was looking at Yuga with his glowing yellow eyes, his teeth showing out of his cunning grin, his amusement clear.

"Professor Himura!" A third voice shouted, coming from Principal Mondo, who was running up to the crater alongside Professor Takada, the students parting to make room for them.

"You… you've been the Masked Man the entire time?" Takada asked, stunned confusion radiating from the look on his face.

"It's about time someone had figured it out." Himura replied, in a cold voice.

"Explain!" Mondo shouted, glaring at him.

"Oh, but where to begin?" Himura asked, grinning. "You see, several years ago, I myself came to this school, and much like every other student here I was young, dumb, eager to learn the rules of this game and maybe become a professional duelist myself. When I was here, I was considered a failure, barely making my way into the school with tactics a third grader could pull off… but as I learned I grew, I eventually became better at dueling, and before long I was considered the number one student of this school, and my what an honor it was to finally be on top."

"Yes, you were truly a star student." Mondo sighed, looking ashamed. "When I taught Advanced Summoning Methods, I was proud of your rapid growth…"

"But that wasn't enough, teach." Himura growled, his grin fading. "As I collected more and more cards, I built better and stronger decks that defeated all my opponents, but it didn't please me. Each and every deck I built had a weakness, one which I tried to correct with the next one, but it was never enough. Finally, I built my Level deck, a deck I could use to lock down my opponents spells and traps and easily summon high level monsters, but even then, I wasn't satisfied... To be the strongest, I needed more powerful cards."

"You always were hungry for power…" Mondo sighed. "I recognized that from day one, and tried to teach you that just because you have the best cards, doesn't mean you will win duels! When you graduated, I was being promoted to Principal, and I thought you taking my old job would change your ways…"

"I needed a job, and your offer gave me the chance I needed to get my feet off the ground." Himura admitted. "But I knew you hired me to also keep an eye on me, and so I slowly began to mask my true intentions. I played the role of foolish teacher, teaching my students summoning methods, but at the same time I never abandoned my true calling, to be the most powerful duelist in the world! I then discovered something beneath the school one day that I had never seen before, something that peaked my interests and began to make me wonder… what was this schools true reason for existence?"

"How did you find the door?" Takada asked. "All the entrances were sealed off years ago!"

"I take it you are referring to the three entrances on campus leading to the underground?" Himura asked. "Well, I grew curious. Where could these entrances that were sealed off lead? I'm sure you know better than anyone Mondo about my affinity for the power of Darkness? I simply used my powers to transport myself beyond the caved in sections of the tunnels, and to my surprise I found myself standing at the foot of the sealed door… but what did it mean? I knew the school must have the answer, so I needed access to the school's database. So when the students were distracted by Homecoming, I slipped into a disguise and entered the school labs, using a key logger I slipped onto the computers ages ago. I had the passwords of the administration all ready to go, and managed to begin copying the secret school files into my flash drive… that was when Ruka appeared."

"I never would have imagined that I was dueling you that day." Ruka admitted, still looking stunned at this information.

"I was fortunate enough to know the school cameras would be unable to tell it was me thanks to my disguise, and I also managed to grab my illegal modified duel pad just in case I ran into someone I needed to duel to escape from, but I cursed something I overlooked." Himura growled. "I didn't grab one of my other decks, and instead took my Level Deck, my signature one. Ruka was instantly able to recognize it as mine, I saw it in her eyes… but I realized that I could pretend I was robbed. It was a long shot, but I needed an alibi, so I picked the lock of my door and pretended to have been robbed, and to my surprise my fib was believed… I was even given permission to 'hunt down' the thief, and thus I was able to become the Masked Man full time!"

"And your excuse for not returning?" Yuga asked.

"Much to my surprise, the school didn't seem to think much of my absence." Himura admitted. "I thought I for sure would have to pretend to have killed myself, but it was not needed. I even had a dummy ready…"

"And what about the Shadow Duelists?" Roku asked.

"Ah, yes." Himura smirked. "My failing accomplishes… how easy it is to pray off the weaknesses of others. Ammon was the first, but I knew him for a long time. I must admit I had a hobby for collecting rare artifacts a long time ago, and one of them was a mask found in Egypt. Thanks to my dark power, I knew the mask contained a spirit inside of it. When I found out about what was needed to unlock the door that contained the Wicked Gods, I knew I needed followers. I communicated with the spirit in the mask with my power, and found out he would aid me in exchange for a body to inhabit. I granted his wishes, and the first of my Shadow Duelists was found. Masuhiro was next, and I must admit I was surprised how easy it was. As I gathered my things to leave Union to 'search for my deck', he approached me about his failing grades and worried about being unable to graduate. I promised him guaranteed graduation success in my new world, should he aid me in obtaining the Wicked Gods. Of course, his weakness was to my benefit, and he too fell in line as my second Shadow Duelist."

"And the other four?" Vince asked.

"Hotaru and Tamiko came next." Himura explained. "How easy it was to lure a mother on welfare to do what I needed her to do. Ammon found them struggling to survive, and using the fear of her daughter not living a comfortable life, I managed to convince the woman that I could give her everything she needed to provide for her daughter, so long as they both served me, and my third and fourth Shadow Duelists were found. Vader was easy to woo over… I found that he too had a power, and when he tried to use it on me, it failed to work. His power had no effect on me when I had the power of darkness at my side. I managed to convince him he could rule my new world after I got the Gods, and he fell in line just like the others."

"And Aku?" Yuga asked.

"A dark apprentice, with knowledge and appreciation of the powers of darkness, but no talent." Himura explained. "In exchange for his service, I would grant him powers like mine. The fool begged for a place in my ranks, and finally I had the six duelists I needed, with me being the seventh, and thus I began the ritual to take the seals to the door, and open it to claim my prize."

"But you failed!" Yuga said, holding up his hand to show his seal. "I still have my seal, so this isn't over! You can't truly master the Wicked Gods until this seal is claimed in your name, so until that happens, we still can defeat you!"

"Try if you want." Himura snarled, descending into the crater, his duel pad turning on as he looked up at Yuga, who slid down into the crater to face him. "But you cannot defeat me, Yuga… no one can!"

"We'll just see!" Yuga shouted, activating his duel pad. "As long as I got my friends with me, and believe in my deck, I can defeat you!"

"Duel!"

Yuga: 4000 vs Himura: 4000

"Good luck, Yuga!" Ruka shouted.

"I'll begin this duel." Himura stated, his glowing amber eyes scanning his cards. "I, using my Scale 0 Wicked Left Hand of Judgement, and my Scale 10 Wicked Right Hand of Chaos, set the Pendulum Scale! With this, I can Pendulum Summon multiple monsters from Level 1 to Level 9. Now I Pendulum Summon, the Level 4 Double Coston (1700/1650) and the Level 3 Armored Zombie (1500/0)." On his side of the field, a green skinned rotting human in red armor appeared with two swirling grey ghosts with blue tongues. "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Yuga, don't lose focus." Roku shouted. "Just because his monsters are weak doesn't mean you can let your guard down!"

 _I know._ Yuga thought, looking at Himura. _To win this duel I need to duel with everything I got… And I mean everything._ Yuga closed his golden eyes, and when he opened them next, his left eye was green and his right eye was red. The dark aura surrounded his body once again, but this time it seemed more controlled then before, hugging close to his body and not flaring everywhere in fury. "It's my turn, and I'll draw! I, using the Scale 1 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon, and the Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon, set the Pendulum Scale! With this, I can Pendulum Summon multiple monsters from Level 2 to Level 7! Now, I Pendulum Summon, the Level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (2500/2000)!"

"All right, with Odd-Eyes effect, any monster he battles gets double damage!" Shin cheered.

"He can cut Himura's life points in half with one attack!" Tamiko noticed.

"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack his Armored Zombie now!" Yuga commanded.

"Trap activate, Zero Gravity!" Himura declared. "All monsters battle positions are now changed! Since all of our monsters are in attack mode, they are now all switched to defense mode!"

"I'll place a card facedown." Yuga stated. "And end my turn."

"Then it is my turn." Himura stated. He drew his card, and smirked an evil grin, looking from the card up at Yuga before holding it up into the air. "I now activate my Double Coston's special effect! He can be treated as two tributes for the Tribute Summon of a Dark Monster! I sacrifice my Double Coston, and my Armored Zombie!" Lightning suddenly began flashing in the air, as Double Coston and Armored Zombie disappeared from the field. Himura's icy cold laugh pierced the air, as he placed his card on the Duel Pad's blade. "To Tribute Summon the first of the three Wicked Gods!"

Lightning struck the ground in front of Himura as his grin was illuminated, a dark portal appeared on the ground, as a creature started to emerge from it. It had a green body with bone like armor coming out of its shoulders and arms, and big skeletal wings with a black membrane connecting the various bone.

"The Wicked Dreadroot (4000/4000)!"

To Be Continued…


	31. Wrath of the Wicked Gods

**School is murder...**

 **So anyway, the second to last chapter of this arc/story. Thanks to Draen, Umbruhon, FurySong, Diabolic Tracer, king of the lion, D3lph0xL0v3r and pokemonking0924 for reviewing Chapter 30. I am sorry this wasn't posted sooner, like I said I have all of the duel written, it's just a ton of school work got in the way of me finding time to edit and reread the story for spelling mistakes, card mistakes, etc... please understand if you find mistakes in this chapter, and as always I will go back into this chapter and edit them as you guys point it out.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Duel in Progress… Yuga: 4000 vs Himura: 4000

The Wicked Dreadroot stared down at Yuga's Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, eyeing it with hunger. Yuga was staring up at the god with his eyes wide, along with everyone else, who were all in shock at the presence of the beast before them.

"That's a Wicked God?" Vince gasped.

"It's huge!" Shin screamed in terror.

"Yuga…" Ruka muttered.

"What do you think?" Takada asked Hirose. "Do you think he has a chance against that thing?"

"It depends." Hirose replied, looking at Yuga, then back at Himura. "On how much Yuga has learned, and how he uses his cards."

"That creature is so horrible looking!" Toma expressed, shivering a little.

"Indeed." Jin muttered, adjusting his glasses. "And I can still hardly believe that Himura is the one controlling it!"

"The Wicked Dreadroot's very presence on the field cuts the attack and defense of all monsters on the field other than himself in half." Himura explained, as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon seemed to cower before the god (Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: 2500/2000 - 1250/1000). "Additionally, I believe it is now time to explain the effects of my Pendulum Monsters. First, my Wicked Left Hand of Judgement protects my Wicked Gods from destruction via card effects, unless it is by their own effect, meaning the only way you can destroy my creatures is through battle. Next, my Wicked Right Hand of Chaos special summons three Wicked Tokens whenever you destroy a Wicked God. Furthermore, before you think you are in the clear by destroying my Pendulum Monsters, they cannot be destroyed as long as they are in my Pendulum Zones!"

"So the only way Yuga is going to beat those things is to fight them head on?" Ruka gasped, staring in shock.

"I don't get how he is going to manage that!" Vince said. "That thing cuts all of Yuga's monsters power in half, meaning that even his strongest creatures are going to be weakened by that thing!"

"You're done." Himura grinned. "Allow me to show you a fraction of my new power… Wicked Dreadroot, destroy Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" The Wicked Dreadroot roared, his fist flying through the air and slamming into Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Shockwaves filled the air as everyone braced themselves, the power of the god echoing through the entire campus, shaking buildings and knocking some of the students off of their feet. Himura was laughing. "Do you see now? It's hopeless! You cannot defeat my God, nor can you defeat the other two!"

"We'll see about that!" Yuga declared. "I assume you are done with your turn? Then it's my turn!" Yuga drew a card. "Since Pendulum Monsters go to the Extra Deck, I can just summon Odd-Eyes again… so this time I summon Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, along with my Level 7 Dragonpit Magician (900/2700)! Now, I overlay my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with my Dragonpit Magician! Dragon of absolute cold, descend and freeze the opposition in place with fear! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 7! Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon (2800/2500)!"

"You waste your time." Himura declared. "Your dragon's attack is cut in half by my God's power, and even if it wasn't, your dragon can't even starch my God with his power (Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon: 2800/2500 - 1400/1250)!"

"Maybe so, but he's what I need right now." Yuga declared. "I'll end my turn with that."

"Then face my power!" Himura stated, drawing a card. "Wicked Dreadroot, destroy his dragon!"

"Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragons effect activates!" Yuga announced. "By detaching one overlay unit on him, I can negate an attack you declare! Additionally, I can special summon one Odd-Eyes monster in my hand or graveyard, and since I detached Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to use Absolute's effect, I can bring him back in defense mode (Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: 2500/2000 - 1250/1000)!"

Himura scoffed. "Fool. It would be better if you just surrender. I place a card facedown and end my turn."

"Sorry, teach." Yuga said, placing his fingers on his deck ready to draw. "But if I recall correctly, in one of my classes, I was taught never to give up. You told us that one day when we were struggling to grasp the idea of Ritual Summoning, remember? You told us that even though it wasn't a dedicated class at Union, it was still a good idea to learn how it was done. You also told us to not give up when we wanted to."

Himura didn't reply, so Yuga just drew his card. "My turn!" Yuga stared at the card in his hand, before looking back up at Himura. "And I end my turn."

"End his turn?" Shin moaned. "That's all he's going to do? Draw a card?"

"Perhaps he is planning for something." Naomi said.

"Let's hope he is." Vince muttered.

"My turn then." Himura declared, drawing a card. "And I will attack once again!"

"Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon's effect activates!" Yuga declared. "By detaching his remaining overlay unit, your attack is canceled."

"Your efforts are in vain." Himura declared, smirking. "I place one card facedown and end my turn. Next turn, you won't be able to negate my attack, and your dragon will fall before me."

"I don't think so!" Yuga said, drawing a card, and smirking at it. "Thanks for making me detach overlay units, for now I can do this! I activate the Spell Card, Phantom Rank-Down! With this, I can use an Xyz Monster I have on my side of the field, and summon one Xyz Monster 3 Ranks lower, with my current Xyz Monster and this spell card as material, but only if the Xyz Monster I am tributing has no overlay units attached to it!" Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon flew into a vortex, along with the spell card. "Formed from pitch black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (2500/2000 - 1250/1000)!"

"It is fruitless." Himura stated.

"Your monster maybe immune to destruction via card effects, but he isn't immune to the effects themselves." Yuga declared. "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect actives! By detaching his two overlay units, I can half the attack of one of your monsters, and increase Dark Rebellion's attack by the same amount!"

"By doing that, the Wicked Dreadroot will only have 2000 attack!" Ruka cheered.

"And with 3250 attack, Dark Rebellion can destroy it!" Shin cheered.

"I don't think so!" Himura declared, activating a trap. "Trap activate, Xyz Fall! I can forcefully detach all Xyz Material from a Xyz Monster you control before you can activate its effect, so you cannot activate its effect. Shame, Yuga, you were close."

Yuga, however, smirked. "The funny thing is, teach, you just made things worse for you by doing that." And before Himura could question it, Yuga played a card. "Spell Card, The Phantom Knights Rank-Up-Magic Launch! By targeting one Xyz Monster on my side of the field with no Xyz Materials attached to it, I can Xyz Summon a monster one rank higher, using that monster and this spell card as Xyz Material! From the depths of purgatory, sing the song of rebellion dedicated to the unsinking souls. Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up, Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon (3000/2500 - 1500/1250)!"

"All right, with Dark Requiem, that God's power will be cut to 0!" Asami cheered.

"And with Dark Requiem taking all of that power, Yuga's monster will have 5500 attack points!" Ruka stated.

"Yuga will win!" Shin happily said.

"If Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon has Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon as material, I can detach 1 overlay unit from him to target one monster on your side of the field." Yuga explained. "Your monster's attack drops to 0, and Dark Requiem gains that attack points (The Wicked Dreadroot: 4000/4000 - 0/4000; Dark Requiem: 1500/1250 - 5500/1250)!" Yuga explained. "Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon, attack the Wicked Dreadroot!"

"Not so fast, I activate a trap card!" Himura shouted. "Defense Draw! The battle damage I take from this battle is reduced to 0, and I get to draw one card!"

"Your monster is still destroyed though!" Yuga pointed out, as the Wicked Dreadroot was impaled by Dark Requiem, and exploded, sending shockwaves everywhere. "Sadly, Odd-Eyes is still in defense mode so he cannot attack, but your God is still gone, so my monster's stats go back to normal (Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: 1250/1000 - 2500/2000; Dark Requiem: 5500/1250 - 7000/2500). Now, I'll end my turn."

"Way to play, Yuga!" Shin cheered.

"Since Dark Requiem has 7000 attack points, it doesn't matter what Himura summons in the end." Ruka stated.

"Yuga can beat anything Himura throws at him!" Asami cheered. The teachers, however, were still looking grim.

Himura chucked. "Just because you destroyed one God, doesn't mean you are in the clear. Did you forget, thanks to my Wicked Right Hand of Chaos, if you happen to destroy a Wicked God, it special summons three Wicked Tokens!" At that moment, three miniature Wicked Dreadroots appeared on the field in defense mode (0/4000 x3).

"So what?" Vince huffed. "Yuga's Dark Requiem can easily destroy any of them."

"It's my turn now." Himura declared, drawing a card. "And now, I sacrifice my three Wicked Tokens, to summon the second Wicked God!" Lightning once again flashed, as Himura placed his card on the Duel Pad. "The Wicked Eraser!" A big, serpentine dragon shot forth from a dark portal that emerged, spreading its large wings and roaring loudly, the scales of its brownish red body glistening as the lightning's light streaked across its body. "My monster's attack and defense are equal to the number of cards you control times 1000, and I count a total of 5… your two monsters, your two Pendulum Scales, and your facedown card… therefore, my monster has 5000 attack and defense points (The Wicked Dreadroot: 5000/5000)!"

Yuga grinned. "Sad to say, teach, but he's still weaker than my Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!"

Himura, however, continued to grin. "Oh? That is the case for now, but my card has an additional special effect. Whenever he is destroyed, every card on the field is also destroyed. Additionally, I can destroy him at any time during my Main Phase! Wicked Eraser, destroy all cards on the field!" The Wicked Eraser roared out, and in a sudden explosion, everything on the field was covered in a bright light, before an explosion occurred. Smoke kicked up on the battlefield, as Yuga coughed in an attempt to breathe.

"That was nuts!" Shin shouted.

"Yeah, but the good news is, Himura's field was wiped out as well…" Ruka pointed out.

"Oh?" Himura asked, grinning. "I beg to differ." As the smoke cleared, The Wicked Eraser, along with Wicked Left Hand of Judgement and Wicked Right Hand of Chaos were still on Himura's field.

"But how?" Yuga asked, staring in shock. "The Wicked Eraser destroyed everything, including itself!"

"You never did pay attention, did you?" Himura mocked. "As long as my Wicked Left Hand of Judgement and Wicked Right Hand of Chaos are in my Pendulum Zones, they cannot be destroyed by any card effects."

"But your Pendulum Monsters cannot prevent self-destruction, so the Wicked Eraser should be destroyed." Ruka pointed out. "If they could prevent it, the Wicked Eraser wouldn't be able to use its special effect!"

"Observant." Himura smirked. "You were always the top student… yes, that is true, but I seem to have forgotten to explain one additional effect of my Wicked Right Hand of Chaos. Yes, he special summons tokens whenever a Wicked God is destroyed by battle, but if a Wicked God happens to somehow be destroyed by a card effect, and not by battle, he automatically revives the Wicked God in question, ignoring its summoning conditions."

"That means Himura can just blow up The Wicked Eraser over and over, and that creature won't fall until Yuga himself destroys it!" Naomi gasped.

"Yuga, be careful!" Ruka shouted.

"Why should he be?" Vince stated. "He has no cards, therefore the thing has no attack points now (The Wicked Eraser: 0/0), so all he needs to do is summon one monster stronger then 1000, and he has it beat. Since that creature can only use its effect when it is destroyed, and can only destroy itself on Himura's turn, Yuga just needs to destroy it with a weak monster before summoning Odd-Eyes back!"

"I end my turn with one card facedown." Himura stated. "Your move."

"I bet that is a card that negates a battle, or battle damage." Ruka muttered.

"If Yuga plays it safe, he has this God beat." Roku stated.

"It's my turn now!" Yuga declared, drawing a card. "And I activate the spell card, Quick Pendulum! When my Pendulum Zones are empty, I can take two Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck and place them into my Pendulum Zones, and I choose my Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and my Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon!"

"Yuga, you idiot!" Vince hissed. "What are you thinking? That dragon now has 2000 attack points (The Wicked Eraser: 2000/2000)."

"I'm going to turn its power against it!" Yuga shouted at him.

"W-what?" Vince asked, stunned. "Turn its power against it?"

"Using the set Pendulum Scales, I Pendulum Summon my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuga announced, as Odd-Eyes appeared with a roar (The Wicked Dreadroot: 3000/3000). "Now, I activate the special effect of my Nobledragon Magician in my hand!"

"Oh, I see what Yuga is doing!" Naomi gasped.

"Her effect allows me to reduce one Odd-Eyes monster I control down three levels, then special summon her from my hand. I reduce Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to Level 4, to special summon my Level 3 Nobledragon Magician (700/1400)! Now I tune my Level 4 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to my Level 3 Nobledragon Magician! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (2500/2000)!"

"Yuga will destroy the Wicked Eraser with Clear Wing's effect negating power!" Shin stated.

"No." Roku said. "The Wicked Eraser could just destroy Clear Wing normally, since it has 3000 attack points right now since Yuga controls three cards."

"Yuga is about to play another card." Asami stated.

"Now, I normal summon my Level 1 tuner monster, Rider of the Storm Winds (500/200)!" Yuga announced. "Now I tune my Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon to my Level 1 Rider of the Storm Winds! Spread those wings shining with scared light. Strike down your enemies with that radiance! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon (3000/2500)!"

"All right, with that Yuga can destroy that thing!" Shin cheered.

"I declare battle!" Yuga announced. "And thanks to Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon's special effect, whenever he is battling a monster, he gains attack points equal to the monster he is battling's attack power. Go, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon (Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon: 3000/2500 - 6000/2500), destroy his Wicked Eraser!" Crystal Wing zipped through the air, before slamming into the Wicked Eraser.

"Trap activate, Half Shield! The battle damage I take this turn is cut in half (Himura: 4000 - 2500). Additionally, I activate The Wicked Eraser's special effect!" Himura declared. "When he is destroyed, all cards on the field are also destroyed." Another flash of light, and the entire field was empty, except for Wicked Left Hand of Judgement and Wicked Right Hand of Chaos. "The Wicked Right Hand of Chaos' effect activates, since a Wicked God was destroyed in battle, three Wicked Tokens are summoned to my field." Once again, the Wicked Tokens appeared in defense mode.

"I activate the effect of the Quick Pendulum spell card in my graveyard." Yuga announced. "If both of my Pendulum Scales are destroyed at the same time, I can banish this card and sacrifice half my life points to restore them (Yuga: 4000 - 2000)." Out of nowhere, Odd-Eyes Persona and Odd-Eyes Mirage were back in the Pendulum Zones.

"They both finally lost some life points..." Tamiko whispered.

"But Yuga has destroyed two of those Wicked Gods!" Shin pipped up.

"Two down, one to go…" Ruka muttered. _Please don't lose, Yuga._

"I must admit, I am impressed." Himura stated. "I never thought you would destroy one Wicked God, let alone two… but this is where it ends." Himura drew a card, and grinned a foul grin. "It's time… for you to meet the most powerful of the Wicked Gods, and the most powerful Duel Monster to ever exist! I sacrifice my three Wicked Tokens… to summon the unstoppable Wicked Avatar!" A black ball of pure darkness descended from the dark clouds in the sky, stopping above them all and looming over them (The Wicked Avatar: 100/100).

"That thing is the final Wicked God?" Vince asked, confused.

"It's only got 100 attack and defense each!" Tamiko expressed, puzzled.

"Careful!" Hirose shouted. "That thing is deadly!"

"You sure?" Yuga asked, confused as well. "All I see is a floating black target."

"You don't understand!" Hirose shouted.

"It's my turn!" Yuga declared, drawing a card. "And I Pendulum Summon my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon from the Extra Deck! Alright Odd-Eyes, let's destroy that thing!"

"Yuga, no!" Hirose shouted.

"Fool." Himura said, grinning. "Guess you need to be educated in The Wicked Avatar's special effect. Its attack and defense is always 100 points higher than the monster with the highest attack on the field, excluding himself!"

"Say what?" Yuga asked, shocked.

"Since that is currently your Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, he will take on that form!" Himura laughed. Right before their eyes, The Wicked Avatar began transforming into a pitch black version of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (The Wicked Avatar: 2600/2600).

"Odd-Eyes, stop!" Yuga commanded, but it was too late. Odd-Eyes was firing a beam of red light, and the Wicked Avatar responded in kind with a beam of black light. The black beam overpowered the red one, and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was vaporized (Yuga: 2000 - 1900). The Wicked Avatar then began morphing again back into the orb of black it was before (The Wicked Avatar: 100/100).

"Do you see now?" Himura laughed. "My Wicked Avatar will always be the strongest monster on the field! Additionally, because of my Pendulum Monsters, he cannot be destroyed unless it is by battle! This creature is the ultimate battle machine, and with my Pendulum Monsters protecting him, he cannot be stopped! Your time is up, Yuga! You will bow before me!"

To Be Continued…


	32. Union's Last Hope

**As usual, a special thank you to Umbruhon, D3lph0xL0v3r, king of the lion, FurySong, pokemonking0924, Draen and a Guest for reviewing Chapter 31. Since I don't wanna waste anymore time, there will be a special author's note at the end of this chapter, so be sure to read that.**

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Duel in Progress… Yuga: 1900 vs Himura: 2500

"My Wicked Avatar will always be the strongest monster on the field! Additionally, because of my Pendulum Monsters, he cannot be destroyed unless it is by battle! This creature is the ultimate battle machine, and with my Pendulum Monsters protecting him, he cannot be stopped! Your time is up, Yuga! You will bow before me!" Himura taunted, laughing.

"I'll find a way to stop it." Yuga hissed, looking at the card in his hand. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"I draw!" Himura declared. "But it matters not what I draw, for the trap card I need is already face down on my field. I activate the trap card, Wicked Command. All monsters you control must be in attack mode, and if you attempt to place then in any other mode, they will be forced into attack mode!"

"That means Yuga can't defend himself against that creature!" Ruka said in shock.

Himura laughed. "This is the perfect deck, with the perfect cards… This is the deck I have been searching for all my life! And you will be its first victim, Yuga! You will slowly lose 100 life points per turn until you are nothing! You cannot overpower my God, nor can you destroy it with any card effect! Your powerless! Now my God, attack him directly!"

"Activate Trap, Negate Attack!" Yuga shouted. "Your attack is canceled and your battle phase is automatically over!"

"It's hopeless." Himura taunted. "No matter what you do, you struggle in vain. Your cards cannot beat mine, no matter what you do."

"I'll find some way to beat you!" Yuga shouted, drawing a card. "Your god can copy the original attack of a creature, but what if that attack is modified? I Pendulum Summon my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and then equip it with my Megamorph spell card! When this is equipped to my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and my life points are lower than yours, the attack power of my Odd-Eyes is doubled (Odd-Eyes Pendulum 2500/2000 - 5000/2000). Attack!"

"Fool, it matters not what is equipped to your dragon!" Himura shouted. "My Wicked Avatar still copies it!" The Wicked Avatar once again took Odd-Eyes' form (The Wicked Avatar: 5100/5100) and right before their very eyes, vaporized Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon once again, before transforming back to normal (Yuga: 1900 - 1800; The Wicked Avatar: 100/100).

"You're making this too easy, Yuga, but then again the more you attempt to attack my monster in vain, the faster you lose. Wicked Avatar, attack Yuga directly!" The Wicked Avatar flew fired a beam of dark energy at Yuga, stinging him a little (Yuga: 1800 - 1700). "I place another card facedown. Your move."

"Well if increasing my attack won't work, then maybe sending it back to your hand will." Yuga thought out loud, drawing a card. "I activate Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards. Next, I Pendulum Summon my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and from my hand, my Dragonpulse Magician. Next, I play the spell card, Odd-Eyes Fusion, which lets me fuse together my two monsters! Dragon of fearsome winds, destroy all who oppose you with tornados of absolute devastation! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon (2500/3000; (The Wicked Avatar: 2600/2600)! I activate Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon's special effect! When he is Fusion Summoned, I can send 1 attack position monster you control back to your hand, so goodbye Wicked Avatar!"

"I discard the Effect Veiler in my hand to negate your effect! I also activate a trap, Wicked Obedience!" Himura declared. "Any monster you have is forced to do battle with a Wicked God monster if it is in attack mode… therefore, Odd-Eyes Vortex, attack my Wicked Avatar now!" Odd-Eyes Vortex obeyed, attacking the Wicked Avatar, but failing as he was vaporized by the power of the God (Yuga: 1700 - 1600; The Wicked Avatar: 100/100). "Now it is my turn, Wicked Avatar, attack Yuga directly (Yuga: 1600 - 1500)!" Yuga fell to his knees after the attack, panting heavily at the continuous attacks. Himura laughed above him. "That's right, Yuga, kneel before your new ruler!"

"Yuga…" Ruka muttered, worry in her eyes. "Please, there must be a way to destroy it… there must be…"

"There is." Hirose said.

"What is it?" Roku asked.

"If you knew, Professor, why didn't you speak up?" Tamiko asked.

"Because Yuga already is aware of the card." Hirose stated. "It is the power of a monster that I gave him after he defeated me in our duel."

"You mean that Fusion Monster you were going to hand out?" Shin asked.

"Correct." Hirose said. "Now, let's see if Yuga can actually harness its power."

Yuga sighed, rising to his feet. He glared at Himura, who stopped laughing suddenly, shocked that Yuga somehow found resolve to continue. "I won't lose." Yuga said to him. "I made a promise to everyone here: My friends, the principal, my teachers… I promised them all that I wouldn't fail, and I won't!"

"You promised? You are such a child! There is nothing you can do!" Himura shouted at him. "Surrender now, you are fighting a pointless battle!"

"I know that I can win!" Yuga shot back. "The power to defeat you is in this deck somewhere, and I need to find it… It's my turn!" Yuga drew his card, and one look at it told him all he needed to know. He looked up at Hirose really quick, who nodded in response. The students all looked from Yuga, to Hirose, to Yuga again, wonder what Yuga just drew from his deck, and what it had to do with Hirose. Yuga turned back to Himura, about to begin his plan. "First, I Pendulum Summon back Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

"By doing that, my Wicked Avatar takes on a stronger form (The Wicked Avatar: 2600/2600)!" Himura reminded him.

"Now I activate the final card of this duel…" Yuga said, closing his eyes and holding the card close. "A gift from a teacher at this school." Everyone turned to Hirose again, who just simply watched Yuga as he made his play. Yuga opened his eyes again. "I activate… Pendulum Fusion! This spell card lets me fuse together the two monsters that are currently in my Pendulum Zone, Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs, emerge from the fusion of darkness, and terrorize this world with your almighty power! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon (2800/2000)!"

"S-Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!?" Shin gasped in shock, looking at the creature with fear.

"It looks so different from the other three dragons… almost evil." Ruka muttered.

"But the question is, what kind of power does it have?" Roku asked.

Himura looked at the dragon, but his smirk remained. "No matter how powerful the monster, the result is the same. My Wicked Avatar just takes on the power of your new beast, with an additional 100 attack and defense to boot (The Wicked Avatar: 2900/2900)." The Wicked Avatar shaped itself into a black version of Starving Venom, and the two dragons roared at once another. "You wasted everyone's time yet again, Yuga." He then began laughing wickedly, enjoying the moment.

"Did I?" Yuga asked, which made Himura pause in the middle of his laughing, a grin still etched on his face. "I activate the special effect of Starving Venom Fusion Dragon! Once per turn, he can take on the name and effect of one Level 5 or higher monster on your side of the field."

"Wait, he can what!?" Himura asked, a shocked look on his face.

"Starving Venom Fusion Dragon takes on the name 'The Wicked Avatar', and takes the effect of the same monster as well." Yuga explained.

"So that means that since the Wicked Avatar's effect doesn't work on itself…" Naomi thought out loud.

"…then the Wicked Avatar and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, which is now named The Wicked Avatar, no longer affect one another." Hirose explained. "Instead, both will take Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's attack plus 100, the current strongest monster."

"No…No, it can't be!" Himura shouted, as the Wicked Avatar once again took on the appearance of a black Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (The Wicked Avatar: 2600/2600; Starving Venom Fusion Dragon: 2800/2000 - 2600/2600).

"It is." Yuga said. "And even though our monsters will just destroy each other, your God can finally be stopped. Your Pendulum Monsters prevent effect destruction, but not battle destruction. Everything has a weakness, and this is your Wicked Avatar's weakness… its own power! Now, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, attack The Wicked Avatar!" Starving Venom roared, and streams of red energy shot from his body, at the same time The Wicked Avatar fired off a black beam of energy. They met in midair, causing a giant explosion that captured both monsters in its destructive path. When the light cleared, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was the only monster on Yuga's side of the field, glaring down at Himura."

"I-I-I can't believe this…" HImura muttered. "This cannot be real. A child with no experience and ordinary, regular monsters, defeating an expert duelist with the power of Gods! It is impossible!"

"Then maybe this will make you believe it is possible!" Yuga shouted. "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Himura directly! End this once and for all!" Odd-Eyes roared, a stream of red energy being shot from his mouth. Himura yelled out as the light enveloped him and sent him flying onto his back, where he lay as the clouds above them cleared, revealing the stars and full moon in the sky once again (Himura: 2500 - 0).

Yuga Wins!

"He won…" Ruka muttered, before blossoming into a smile and running down into the crater. "Yuga won!" She then tackle hugged him, along with Roku, Tamiko, Asami, Shin, and Naomi. Vince just merely walked down, huffing a little as he crossed his arms, muttering a 'good job' under his breath.

"Impossible…" Himura whispered, staring up at the moon. "It is impossible… a child beat the ultimate deck… Three of the most powerful cards in the entire world, falling to a kid and his stupid promises."

"Himura." Mondo muttered, approaching the spot where he lay looking down at him. No one else moved or talked, everyone just stared at them. "Foolish student of a foolish teacher… You lack something that Yuga has shown here today, and that is why you lost. If you can figure out what that is, perhaps then you will realize that your obsession for power is a misguided one."

Himura huffed, leaning his head back. He said nothing for a long time as he stared into the sky, just watching the stars. Time passed around them, as Takada flagged over two police officers that arrived on the scene. Himura was cuffed and dragged out of the crater, while it was tapped off and one by one, the students were ushered away from the scene by staff members and police alike. Yuga was questioned before being sent off to bed, and once he got back to the dorms he and Shin remained silent for some time before in the dead of night, they both were lying awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling, their brains racing at a million miles per hour.

"You think they would have treated us with more respect." Shin muttered. "I mean… you did just save the world and all."

"Yup." Yuga replied, not willing to say anymore.

"So, what is on the agenda for tomorrow, hero?" Shin asked, smiling a proud grin as he looked over at his friend. "Now that everyone in the school knows we are basically seven heroes, I bet we are going to get a lot of questions."

Yuga didn't reply, he didn't even crack a smile. As Yuga stared at the ceiling, a sudden resolve brought itself forth in his heart. "I need to take care of something tomorrow…"

The sun rose on Union bright and early, and with it came the hustle and bustle of the students, despite it being a Saturday. No one seemed to sleep after the events of last night, and who could blame them? The world had almost fallen to Himura, a man once thought to be a friend to Union and the world, who was now held behind bars in an unknown location. Ruka, Roku, Shin, Asami, Vince and Naomi seemed bombarded by questions everywhere they went, and even Tamiko and her mother, who still were living on campus despite the threat of the Masked Man being over, couldn't escape the constant questions flying every which way. The only one who seemed to escape it was Yuga, who had broken away from the crowd and slipped into one of the buildings, the very one where Hirose's office was. Yuga entered, looking at the broken door just barely hanging on the wall, before turning to Hirose, who was typing rapidly on his computer.

"I thought you might swing by." Hirose stated, not taking his eyes off his computer. "Is everything all right, Yuga?"

Yuga stayed silent for a moment, before approaching the desk. "No, Professor…" Yuga then pulled out two cards from his deck, and placed them onto the desk. Hirose looked at them briefly, recognizing them as Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, and Pendulum Fusion. "I never got to return these to you in the panic of last night…"

"Why would you return them to me?" Hirose asked.

Yuga sighed. "You were right… I don't deserve them. I am an ignorant, thick skulled duelist who rushed to a conclusion just because I didn't like your strictness… All along you've been trying to help me, and I've just developed a hatred towards you, only because I don't like strict adults… So, I'm sorry…"

Hirose thought for a moment, his fingers hovering over the keys of his keyboard, before he turned his entire body to face Yuga, folding his hands together and looking at the cards. "Well let me make one thing clear… you are thick headed, but you did save the entire world last night. Plus, you did impress me and get A's on both your exam and paper… therefore you satisfied the condition to win Starving Venom... that is your card now, Yuga."

"But…" Yuga began.

"However, if you do think a punishment is in order, I am off to buy some materials to fix my door that you broke in." Hirose cut him off, smirking. "I say a quick Saturday detention with you fixing my door would be acceptable, wouldn't you agree?"

Yuga sighed, smiling back. "Of course, Professor."

"As for Pendulum Fusion, keep it as a gift." Hirose stated, pushing both it and Starving Venom back across the best towards Yuga. "From one Pendulum and Fusion using duelist, to another. You will make good use of it here."

"T-Thank you, Professor." Yuga said, taking both cards back from the desk. "But just one question…"

"Only one?"

"You said beforehand that I have potential, but I don't get what you mean by that." Yuga said. "Is it… related to the darkness inside of me?"

"While the darkness does make you indeed a very unique case…" Hirose declared, thinking carefully. "It is your ability to defeat your own inner darkness, as well as the darkness in others, that is truly special. But that is not the potential you process, Yuga, it is your own abilities as a duelist that are truly special. During your next year, I would like to watch as your talent and dueling abilities take you far, as you teacher that would make me most proud."

Yuga nodded, smiling a little. "Thank you, Professor."

XxXxXxX

Himura still couldn't process what he had experienced yesterday, how a child declaring that he had promised to save the world was able to do just that, defeating not only the Wicked Gods, but him. He was a seasoned duelist who had been though all sorts of duels, the level of skill he possessed was even beyond the current Duel Champion, and yet here he was, defeated and broken, reduced to nothing by a child.

"What I lack…" Himura whispered to himself, staring up at the ceiling and thinking. "What do I lack that Yuga has?"

"Want to find out?" A voice echoed into his head. Himura shot up suddenly, looking around wildly until he noticed a familiar looking mask lying on the floor in his cell, propped up against the wall so that the eye slits of the mask seemed to stare at him.

"Ammon." Himura greeted, a scowl forming on his face. "You dare show yourself to me after abandoning my cause when you were defeated?"

"You knew the rules, Himura, as you made them yourself." The mask of Ammon crackled, and began floating, gaining height and eventually reaching eye level with Himura. "I could not duel in the Shadow Duels after being defeated."

"Then begone with you!" Himura roared, anger filling his voice. "I don't need servants who abandon their masters."

"You're right…" Ammon whispered. "You have no need for such things, but what you do need is power, and I can give it to you."

"Oh no." Himura growled, glaring. "I told you before when I dug you up, I am not a fool. I will not don your mask on my face. I know full well what you do to those you possess."

"I don't offer myself to you for possession, Himura." Ammon stated, the mask expressionless as ever. "What I offer is a partnership. You are trapped in this cell, while I am trapped within this mask. Just think of it this way, what other choice do you have other than to spend the rest of your life behind bars? I have a plan, Himura, and if you want in on it, you can take my mask as your own, and together, you and I can rule the world."

"What exactly are you planning, Ammon?" Himura asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"I will tell you my plan in due time." Ammon stated. "But first… you must wear my mask, and take my power for your own. A fusion between ourselves will be able to accomplish my plan, and even… defeat Yuga."

Himura flinched, before walking forward and taking hold of Ammon's mask, staring down at it, his thoughts racing. "If you so much as begin possessing my body, you're out. Don't forget, I too have the powers of darkness, and will know if you so much as pour an ounce of your soul into me."

"I understand." Ammon said. "Now, don my mask atop your face, and take my power for your own. Together, the fused powers of darkness we possess will rule over this pathetic world!" Himura hesitated a bit, before flipping the mask over and slowly bringing it up to his face. The mask seemed to fit him perfectly, almost as if it shaped itself to hold on his face without effort. A dark aura surrounded Himura's body, dark waves emitting from him as he roared out, power coursing through him.

"Now… we are one!" Ammon declared. Himura opened his eyes, they had taken on an orange color, the dark aura now controlled and focused. Himura looked at himself and tightened his fist, pleased with the power he and Ammon seemed to channel when they were in the same body.

"What's going on in there?" A guard asked, approaching down the hallway. He raised his flashlight towards Himura's cell, then gasped. Himura was gone, vanished as silently as the night. "He's gone! We got an escaped prisoner from block C, cell number 5! Red alert!"

Alarms blared as all units began moving out to find Himura, but it would be in vein. Standing on the island prison and looking out towards the sea was Himura, who was dawning the mask of Ammon, a dark aura still coursing thought him.

"We must buy our time." Ammon's voice said to Himura, whispering into his ear. "We are not yet strong enough to accomplish my plan, but in due time, we will be."

"Then what do we do first?" Himura asked, his voice coming out a bit rougher and deeper, almost like he was still wearing his own mask with the voice modifier.

"We need to visit my own home." Ammon declared, the orange eyes of Himura flashing. "Egypt."

* * *

 **And that's it!** **It's been a long road, but I want to thank everyone who reviewed and read this story, even if they just read Chapter 1 and left. At the time of posting this chapter, we have 18,975 views in total. This is along with 35 favorites, and 36 followers. It's unreal to me how popular this story is, and I am glad each and everyone of you like it.**

 **Ok, onto the issue of this story's sequel. Since I am in the final 3 weeks of finishing school, the first chapter of a sequel story is probably not going to be out until that is done, or even later depending on how busy I am, but the sequel is already in planning. Speaking of, remember the OC thing I held a long time ago? That is where your submitted OCs will be appearing. I have OCs from Draen, Fan of Kings, Shane Kor, Blaze Falcon, EveryDayDueling, king of the lion, D3lph0xLov3r, and pokemonking0924. If for some reason you need to withdraw your OC, please contact me before May 10th, 2017. If I don't hear from you, I am going to assume it is ok to continue using your OC. Also keep in mind that while your OC will win at least 1 or 2 duels in my story, they WILL lose at least one duel. If that for some reason isn't ok, please submit a withdraw request. If some people withdraw their OC, I MAY take more in, but I highly doubt it.**

 **Thank you once again for reading this story and especially to the reviewers! If you want to see more of my work, you can check out my Pokemon and Splatoon stories on my profile page. If not, the sequel to this story will be posted hopefully sometime mid to late May. Until next time, see ya!**


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